Newcastle has been shortlisted to become the home of the British railways, beating a number of other towns and cities in the North East.

Bids had been submitted for Darlington and Stockton to get the headquarters for Great British Railways (GBR).

A bid had also been put forward for Durham, which has been unsuccessful.

With the approach of the bicentenary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, it had been hoped one of the towns would be shortlisted due to their connection with the birth of the railway.

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The shortlist of places which could still be successful includes Newcastle and York, as well as Birmingham, Crewe, Derby and Doncaster.

Members of the public can now vote on who they think should win the bid, with the winner announced later this year.

The public can now make their voices heard as voting officially opens.

A total of 42 towns and cities across applied to be the new headquarters of GBR.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Our world-leading railways have served this country well for 200 years and this is a huge step in the reforms, which will shape our network for the next 200. 

“Great British Railways will create a truly sustainable, modern and fair railway network for passengers and freight customers. 

“I’m calling on people across the country to play a key part in this once-in-a-generation reform and vote for the new home of our railways.”  

The Northern Echo: A bid had been submitted for Durham to become home to Great British Railways A bid had been submitted for Durham to become home to Great British Railways

The central headquarters will be the heart of the rail network and will provide strategic direction for the running of GBR, as well as bringing a number of highly skilled jobs to the area.  

Leader of the Great British Railways transition team, Andrew Haines, said: “A big congratulations to Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster, Newcastle and York for reaching the final stage in the Government’s competition to find the national HQ for Great British Railways.

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“Since the competition was launched it has been great to see the interest from towns and cities across Britain who believe GBR’s home should be with them. I am really looking forward to the next step and seeing which town or city has the honour of being the home for GBR. Good luck to the final six.”

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