A range of business and political leaders from around the region have come together to lobby for Newcastle to become the new home for Great British Railways.
The assembled messages of support are part of a concerted push to convince the Government that the city – which can claim to be the birthplace of the railways in the 19th century – should host the new body running the UK’s rail system. Newcastle recently made a shortlist of six for the Great British Railways HQ, and is battling it out with Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster, and York.
A public vote has been opened for people to pledge support for each bid, though the final decision will be made by the Government. Ahead of a Ministerial visit to Newcastle, city leaders have outlined how the city would provide a perfect home for the new organisation. Public voting on the HQ is open until August 15 at https://gbrtt.co.uk/hq-competition-public-vote/. A decision on the HQ will be announced later this year.
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Nick Kemp, leader of Newcastle City Council : “It’s fantastic news that Newcastle has been shortlisted as the location for the headquarters of Great British Railways. We have a strong and proud history with the railways going back generations so I cannot think of a better home for this new headquarters.”
North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll : “We are uniquely positioned to link our rail heritage to a new 21st century headquarters. Newcastle offers a perfect base for Great British Railways. This would be a symbolic homecoming and fantastic opportunity to create new jobs.”
Jennifer Hartley, director of Invest Newcastle : “As the birthplace of the railways, we could not be prouder that Newcastle has made the official shortlist to become the new headquarters for the GBR HQ. This is a visible commitment to the levelling up agenda, we could not think of a more fitting home.”
Martin Gannon, chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee and Gateshead Council leader : “The rich industrial heritage of the area and our connection with the start of all that transport history make the North East the perfect place for this accolade – not to mention the economic boost this would provide.”
Tobyn Hughes, managing director of Transport North East : “I’d urge everyone in the North East to get behind Newcastle and vote for it to be the location of the Great British Railways HQ. It would be amazing if the location could be the site of Stephenson’s Works – engines like the Rocket and Locomotion were made here and sent all over the world – building economies and even nations!”
Gavin Black, chairman of the Central Station Gateway Project : “The city of Newcastle was at the heart of the development of the railways with the construction of the Rocket steam engine... It would seem most appropriate for the headquarters of Great British Railways to return to the city where it all began.”
Liz Bromley, CEO of National College Group : “NCG therefore wholly supports the bid for the GBR HQ to be in our city; not just to look back with pride in our past, but also to look forward with ambition for the future of our region.”
John McCabe, chief executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce : “The opportunity to have our region as the location for the first Great British Railways headquarters would be extremely fitting... The commitment to have the base here would also be a very practical demonstration of levelling up.”
Mark Thompson, managing director of Ryder Architecture : “As the city closest to the centre of Great Britain, with excellent rail connections north to Scotland and south to London, Newcastle is ideally placed as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to levelling up.”
Carolyn Ferguson, company secretary of The Go-Ahead Group : “As an international transport company from Newcastle, The Go-Ahead Group is 100% behind the city’s bid to host the headquarters of Great British Railways. Newcastle is a vibrant city packed with innovation, excitement and ingenuity. It’s a great place to live, work and do business, and it’s full of transport talent and experience.”
Stephen Patterson, chief executive of NE1 Ltd : “Newcastle has all the right credentials, we can demonstrate a proud railway heritage, coupled with a city that is undergoing huge investment and transformation, an ideal location for a brand new headquarters. We urge everyone to get behind the campaign.”
Phil Blythe, professor of intelligent transport systems at Newcastle University and vice president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology : “To me it is a no brainer that Newcastle should be the front runner, with all the heritage we have from the very beginning of the invention and evolution of the railways in the North East, to the skills, expertise and enthusiasm of the workforce here to support and work with GBR as well as the world leading research we have on railways and the wider future mobility ambition.”
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