ONE of the region’s MPs is full steam behind a bid to bring the head office of Britain’s railways to the North East.

Mary Kelly Foy believes Durham would provide an “ideal location” for the Great British Railways Headquarters.

The city MP is urging Durham County Council to throw its hat into the ring, given the “proud” local railway heritage.

It follows the announcement of a national competition to find a host city, launched by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps last week.

Read more: All aboard for the battle of the railway towns over GB Rail

Great British Railways is the newly formed national body which the Department for Transport (DfT) says will oversee the “operational delivery” of the railway and provide leadership across the rail network.

The new body will seek to improve rail services by, “bringing ownership of the infrastructure, fares, timetables and planning the network under one roof.”

Its aim is to bring “fragmented” railways under a single point of operational accountability, “ensuring the focus is on delivering for passengers.”

In an open letter to the leader and chief executive of the county council, Ms Kelly Foy has called on the authority to enter the competition, highlighting the site of the existing County Hall, previously earmarked for redevelopment, as an ideal location for the new office, bringing with it up to 500 jobs.

Given its proximity to the city’s railway station, she said it meets all the criteria set out by the DfT.

“Durham would be an ideal location for the new Great British Railways headquarters.

“We have a proud railway heritage in Durham and anyone who has ever arrived into the city over the viaduct and taken in the unobstructed views of the castle and cathedral, knows Durham is one of the crown jewels of our railways.

“While we are proud of our heritage, we must look to the future and seek to attract investment and jobs.”

She said she wants to work “proactively” with the county council and other partners to ensure such an investment opportunity is not missed.

In response, county council leader, Amanda Hopgood, said: “We are really keen to submit our bid for the Great British Railway headquarters and have been working on proposals in anticipation of the Government’s announcement.

“With our county’s rich railway heritage, multi-billion-pound investment programme, and our current bid to become UK City of Culture 2025, County Durham already has a lot to offer to make it the ideal location for a nationally-significant railway centre.

“While there are obvious advantages to bid for the headquarters to be in Durham City, we are working on our expression of interest and will be assessing all possible sites to find the perfect location that best suits our county.

“We understand that part of the process will involve demonstrating public support, so we welcome everyone’s backing and ask they keep getting behind us as we work on what we hope will be a successful bid to bring this fantastic opportunity to the county.”

Bidding local authorities must lodge their expression of interest by March 16, with the DfT shortlist to be announced in May, and the winning location to be announced in the summer.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054