TOWNS in the North East face stiff competition in the battle to be crowned the new “home of railways”.

A competition will be run to identify the headquarters for Great British Railways (GBR), the single, accountable public body responsible for running Britain’s railways.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the central headquarters of GBR could be built “anywhere in the country” outside London.

Local authorities, MPs and business groups representing towns and cities across Britain have already begun discussions about entering bids to host the new public-sector body.

The location, Mr Shapps said, “should be somewhere with a great railway history” and be “well connected”.

Read more: Tees Valley MPs debate in campaign for british railways HQ

The Northern Echo: Stockton South MP Matt Vickers has campaigned for Stockton to become the new home of railwaysStockton South MP Matt Vickers has campaigned for Stockton to become the new home of railways

In the North East, representatives from Darlington and Stockton have talked up their towns as the ideal location for the new site.

In a Westminster debate last year Conservative MP Peter Gibson said “Darlington’s position as the birthplace of the railways has been overlooked and ignored” and joined the local council in its campaign.

But Labour MP for Stockton North Alex Cunningham said his town is the “real home of the railways” and would help level up the area.

Tory MP Matt Vickers, of Stockton South, added: “Darlington has its Treasury jobs, and York has its Cabinet Office jobs. Is it not about time that Great British Railways came home to Stockton?”

The Northern Echo: Grant Shapps (left) and Michael Portillo, as Mr Shapps has urged towns and cities to make the case for why they should host the headquarters of Great British Railways. Grant Shapps (left) and Michael Portillo, as Mr Shapps has urged towns and cities to make the case for why they should host the headquarters of Great British Railways.

Mr Shapps urged people across Britain to “make the case for why the true home of the railways is on your doorstep”.

Other criteria include alignment with the Government’s levelling-up programme to reduce regional inequalities, public support determined through an online vote and value for money.

The winner – which will be announced this summer – will receive a “great boost” with the creation of high-skilled jobs in their area, Mr Shapps said.

Several regional headquarters will also be built.

Read more: Why Stockton has pride in its railway heritage

Up to 10 towns and cities including York, Crewe, Southampton, Doncaster and Swindon, have already expressed an interest in submitting a bid.

The formation of GBR to run and plan the rail network was announced in May last year as part of widespread reforms launched by Mr Shapps in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail.

Mr Shapps said it will focus on “bringing everything together and running a much more efficient service for passengers” when it begins operating, which is expected to be in early 2024.

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