Birmingham will not be the new HQ for Great British Railways
Derby was announced the winner earlier today.
Last updated 21st Mar 2023
Derby has been named as the new headquarters of Britain's railways.
The East Midlands city has been confirmed as the home of new public sector body Great British Railways (GBR).
They fought off competition from other shortlisted locations including Birmingham, Crewe, Doncaster, Newcastle and York.
Among the selection criteria were alignment to levelling-up, transport connections, railway heritage and value for money.
Derby is already home to the UK's largest train factory - owned by Alstom - where around 2,000 people are employed.
The bid to host the headquarters named a potential location as the former site of the Railway Technical Centre in the south-east of the city, which has been developed into a business park.
It is hoped GBR will simplify the rail network and improve services for passengers by absorbing the state-owned infrastructure management company Network Rail and taking on many functions from the Department for Transport.
The body's tasks will including issuing passenger service contracts to private companies to run trains.
It was due to be launched in early 2024 but that timetable has been scrapped.