A nationwide competition to find the new home of Great British Railways (GBR) has begun, with towns and cities across Great Britain invited to apply.  

Competition guidelines:

• public to have their say with an online vote to find home for Great British Railways
• towns and cities across the country with strong links to the railways are encouraged to enter nationwide competition
• new HQ will see home of the railways set up outside of London, spreading opportunities and levelling up communities

Following the publication of the Levelling Up white paper, the new GBR HQ will be based outside of London.  It is expected that local economies will be further boosted by a number of new regional headquarters across the country, putting decision-making and investment at the heart of the communities that use those railways day-to-day.

Applications will be measured against six criteria:

• alignment to levelling up objectives
• connected and easy to get to
• opportunities for GBR
• railway heritage and links to the network
• value for money
• public support

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, said:  

“Locations across the country with strong historical links to the railway are encouraged to make the case for why they should be the new home of GBR. The GBR transition team will shortlist the best applications in May, after which a public vote will help determine the winning location.”

This central headquarters will be the heart of the rail network and provide strategic direction for the running of GBR. 

Andrew Haines, Leader of the Great British Railways transition team said:

“This is the chance for cities and towns across the UK to pitch to be a key part of an exciting chapter in the history of Britain’s railway.”