THE battle is on between rival train centres Darlington and York to become home to the future of the rail industry with a competition launched by the Government for bids to be the new base of Great British Railways.
The state owned GBR is a move by the government to reform the railway system with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps launching a competition to decide where the new headquarters for GBR will be with a commitment it will be outside London.
It’s designed to ensure decisions about the railway are brought closer to the passengers and communities they serve with a new centralised public body uniting control of infrastructure and train services.
The government says the competition will recognise towns and cities with a rich railway history that are strongly linked to the network.
In Darlington campaigners insist the town has a unique position as the birthplace of railways alongside the continued importance of the industry to the town’s identity and heritage.
Bank Top Station is being redeveloped along with the town centre and the Borough Council’s plans for major improvements to the railway quarter ahead of 2025 marking 200 years since the opening of the original Stockton and Darlington railway.
The town’s MP Peter Gibson has already written to the government and tweeted Grant Shapps saying ‘Let’s make the home of Great British Railways Darlington’, as part of the #WhereItAllBegan campaign.
He is calling on people across the town to get behind it.
He said: “In Darlington we are proud of our unique connection with our railway heritage. It is the birthplace of the modern railways as the location where the idea of the Stockton and Darlington railway was conceived and launched, an event commemorated on the £5 note. I firmly believe that Darlington is the ideal location of Great British Railway’s new headquarters.
“I am pleased that the Minister responsible for railways recognises Darlington’s railways heritage and the progress we have made as a town of the last 19 months.
“I am excited to work with the Department over the coming months to make the case for Darlington to be the home of Great British Railways and to bring our national railways home to where it all began.”
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “As home of the world’s first passenger railway there is no better place than Darlington for the new home for Great British Railway and I whole heartedly back Peter’s campaign.
“With thousands of senior civil servants from the most important government departments coming to the town, including those from Treasury and the business department, it’s a no brainier for GB Rail to be headquartered where the railways got started.”
Councillor Heather Scott, Leader of Darlington Borough Council, said: “As historical home of Locomotion Number 1 and birthplace of the passenger railways, I can think of no better location than Darlington to be the headquarters of Great British Railways.
“With so many Government jobs in the process of being moved to Darlington, there is much to be optimistic about, but we must never stop banging the drum for more investment, more jobs and more boosts to our economy.
“As somewhere rightly incredibly proud of its rich rail heritage, Darlington would be an ideal base for Great British Railways and I look forward to helping make that case in the coming weeks and months.”
York City Council leader councillor Keith Aspden, and the leader of North Yorkshire County councillor Carl Les have already written to the Minister saying it would make ‘perfect sense’ for Great British Railways to be based there.
About 5,000 rail jobs are already in York, 10 per cent of employees in the national rail industry. Train operators based there include LNER, Northern Railway and Grand Central with Network Rail which is responsible for the 30,000 miles of track and infrastructure employing 1,000 people in the city where its training hub is also based.
York wants the new headquarters to be part of a massive new £155m central development being created with a civil service hub, 2,500 new homes and 1.2 million square feet of commercial development.
Cllr Aspden said: “York is the heart of the rail industry in the north, with our existing rail links, sector jobs and highly skilled workforce, so it would make perfect sense for the headquarters of the Government’s flagship rail body to be based in the city. This would see a concrete commitment from the Government to their levelling up ambitions, bringing jobs and investment to York and the North.
“The York Central site is one of the most iconic and exciting city centre developments in the country. Having already secured funding for enabling infrastructure which is now underway, the timing would be perfect to make this home for Great British Railways, alongside a future Civil Service Hub.”
