Rail minister visits York as the city bids to become Great British Railway HQ
Rail Minister Wendy Morton visited York Station on Monday (25 July)
Yorkshire-born rail minister Wendy Morton was greeted by MPs, businesses and education leaders as they set out why York should be crowned the home of Britain’s railways.
Ms Morton is visiting all six places shortlisted to become the headquarters of Great British Railways (GBR), which will oversee rail infrastructure, ticket prices and timetables.
During a two-hour visit to York on Monday, she was shown around the station, the Aviva building and the Hudson Quarter, on the original site of York’s first permanent railway station.
Ms Morton, who is from North Yorkshire, said: “I’ve had a tour round some of the buildings that are at the heart of the rail industry here with councillors and local MPs to get a flavour of what York is doing and what York has on offer – from the development of York railway station, the land around it and the opportunities for the future.”
Ms Morton said she had to remain “absolutely impartial” as she still had to visit Birmingham, Derby, Doncaster and Newcastle, the other places bidding for the prize.
A public vote is open until August 15 for people to say where they would like to win, but the final decision will be made by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps later this year.
City of York Council leader Coun Keith Aspden said York was the “natural home” for GBR.
He added: “Everybody knows that in many ways York has unrivalled rail heritage and is the home of the National Railway Museum, but they know less about the rail jobs already in the city and less about some of the really clever work going on in science and technology.”
The base could be on the York Central site, near the promised civil service hub, or in West Offices as a temporary home if it is needed more quickly.
Business and education chiefs were on hand to tell the minister about work going in York – from using data and cameras to ensure the trains run on time, to ways of clearing leaves from the line.
There are around 5,000 rail jobs based in York already. Train operators based in the city include LNER, Northern Railway and Grand Central – and Network Rail employs 1,000 people.
Criteria which will help make the final decision include: alignment with levelling-up; connectivity and railway heritage.
University Of York vice-chancellor Charlie Jeffrey said GBR could help York’s most disadvantaged.
“We want to create pathways for children in those communities to fulfil their potential and the rail industry is going to be one of the most important industries in this city,” he said.
“We have the technologies through which we are going to run the railway of the future,” he added.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell said businesses were already saying they would invest in the city if the bid was to succeed.
She added: “It’s not just about York, it’s about the region – and the levelling up agenda is so dependent upon transportation. If we can get the railways operating as they should, everyone’s going to benefit from the levelling up we can bring.”