Derby has formally launched its campaign to be the new home of Great British Railways.
Great British Railways will be the new public body set up by the Government to run Britain鈥檚 disjointed railways after years of problems.
The Government wants to make the whole system work together better and the new body will integrate the network, owning the infrastructure, collecting fare revenue, running and planning schedules, and setting most fares and timetables.
A competition is underway to find a location for the headquarters outside of London and Derby鈥檚 business and political leaders say it would be the ideal place because of its historical ties to the railways and good train connectivity.
Derby鈥檚 bid has the backing of councils across the East Midlands including Derby, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, Leicester and Leicestershire, representing over three million people from across the region.
Derby City Council leader Coun Chris Poulter, who is leading the bid, said: 鈥淩ail is in the blood of many generations of people in Derby, who are naturally proud of our rich and deep-rooted rail heritage.
鈥淢y own father spent the whole of his working life at the Derby Loco Works and the smell of engine oil still lingers strong in my memory.
鈥淭he home of the railways should also have an eye to the future and this is where Derby can excel.
鈥淚t is a centre for rail excellence and innovation, with a strong supply chain to support a large, diverse rail cluster.鈥
At the end of 2021 the French Alstom group completed the 拢4.9 billion acquisition of Derby-based train maker Bombardier Transportation, which employs 2,000 people at its Litchurch Lane works.
Will Tanner, communications director at Alstom 海角视频 and Ireland, said that Derby was well placed to support the Government relocation.
He said: 鈥淭he business and national strategic case for locating Great British Railways in the city is very strong indeed and we are delighted that Derby is putting itself forward.
鈥淎lstom is the 海角视频鈥檚 leading train builder and maintainer and is proud to call Derby home.
鈥淭he city has been building trains for Britain and the world since 1839 and it鈥檚 still doing so today.鈥
Coun Barry Lewis, the leader of Derbyshire County Council, said: 鈥淲e fully support the bid to bring the national headquarters of Great British Railways to Derby and believe it is the ideal location, not only because of its historic associations with the railway and the vital role it plays in the rail industry today but also its geographical position in the national rail network and proximity to the M1.
鈥淭he city and county are home to Europe鈥檚 largest cluster of rail engineering companies and it is the only place in the 海角视频 where you can design, test and manufacture a train all on the same site.
鈥淭here are around 11,000 people working in the rail sector in the area boasting a diverse pool of expertise including cutting edge research in conjunction with the University of Derby on rail de-carbonisation and composite design.
鈥淎s part of the levelling up agenda this would be a major boost for the East Midlands region and a real opportunity.鈥
Leicestershire County Council leader Coun Nick Rushton said: 鈥淭he city of Derby is the natural choice for the headquarters of GBR and all the East Midlands region is behind the bid.鈥
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