Great British Railways headquarters
The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that Carnforth would be an ideal location for the new headquarters of Great British Railways; further that the creation of the headquarters would bring additional jobs to the community, as well as encourage new investment; and further over 1,500 members of the community have signalled their interest to the Secretary of State for Transport via a letter writing campaign.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to note the nomination of Carnforth to house the new headquarters of Great British Railways.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by David Morris, Official Report, 18 May 2022; Vol. 714, c. 807.]
[P002733]
Observations from the Minister of State, Department for Transport (Kevin Foster): received 13 September 2022.
A competition to select a national headquarters for Great British Railways (GBR), to be based outside of London, ensuring skilled jobs, investment and economic benefits are focused nationwide, was launched on 5 February 2022 and closed for applications on 16 March 2022.
The GBR Transition Team received 42 expressions of interest from towns and cities across Great Britain and assessed applicants against the competition’s six selection criteria which are aligned with railway priorities, value for money and broader governmental policies. These were:
1. Alignment to Levelling Up objectives
2. Connected and easy to get to
3. Opportunities for GBR
4. Railway heritage and links to the network
5. Value for money
6. Public support
Six locations were shortlisted, and the public were invited to an online consultative vote, which opened on 5 July 2022 and closed on 15 August 2022. These six locations were Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and York. Later this year, the Secretary of State will announce a decision on the final location of the GBR Headquarters based on the information gathered throughout the process and the criteria outlined above.
More details on the competition are provided at the GBR Transition Team website available at
www.gbrtt.co.uk/hq.