The long awaited announcement of which city will host the new Great British Railways headquarters (GBR HQ) is set to be revealed before Easter and Doncaster is hopeful to win the bid.
Recently, Transport Secretary Mark Harper MP revealed that the project was back on track and partners from across Doncaster and South Yorkshire are gathering in anticipation. The city has waited for a result since last summer when Doncaster found out it was on the shortlist along with fellow contenders Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and York in a bid to be crowned the home of Britain’s railways.
Ahead of the result being announced, Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones said: “Since we put in our bid, Doncaster has continued to grow and we are now officially a city. Our tenacity and drive for the City of Doncaster and our region to become the hub of Britain’s railways has remained steadfast. I do hope the right decision is made before Easter and that South Yorkshire and the North can be proud to drive forward a new era for the sector, as the home of Great British Railways.”
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “Doncaster is the natural home for Great British Railways. We have a rich rail heritage spanning back to the Flying Scotsman and the Mallard, we’re the home of successful rail companies including Hird Rail Development, Network Rail and Hitachi, and the place where top rail training facilities thrive. Doncaster has rail in its DNA.
“If government are serious about levelling up places like South Yorkshire they will choose Doncaster as the new home of Great British Railways.”
Michael Hird, Chairman of Hird Group Ltd and Chair of the Doncaster GBR bid said: “Doncaster not only has a rich rail heritage, it has a central position on the rail network, excellent connectivity to all parts of the country and is at the heart of a major rail cluster being well served by rail orientated skills providers. The wider region has an unrivalled rail offer with over two hundred rail and engineering companies basing themselves throughout South Yorkshire. We hope that our strong bid comes to fruition and we can extend our role in serving the country’s railways even further.”
The Government is expected to announce the winning bid before Easter.
More information about Doncaster’s entry to the competition can be found by clicking the button below:
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