The Cheshire East Council, alongside its partners, has submitted an expression of interest in Crewe becoming the location for the headquarters for the new Great British Railways, which will be in charge of the railways in the country.
Bringing GBR to Crewe will offer a range of levelling up opportunities to the town and help its rail sector to thrive.
“We have submitted an outstanding bid to show why Crewe is the right and logical choice for the Great British Railways headquarters. This is a rail town through and through, at the heart of the rail network and with rail at the heart of the town,” Councillor Sam Corcoran, leader of Cheshire East Council, in agreement with all Cheshire East political group leaders, said.
Crewe is one of the most connected interchanges in the UK and is considered a gateway for the North and “this means that the possibilities this headquarters brings can flow throughout the country,” Sam Corcoran explained.
“As our rail industry continues to thrive, including our freight rail sector, here in Crewe, it’s important this can work closely with the Government and the headquarters being right here would ensure just that,” Kieran Mullan, MP for Crewe and Nantwich said.
The current timeline will see an announcement on which areas have been shortlisted for Great British Railways to be made in May, before a non-binding public vote and finally a decision made in summer 2022.
In October 2021, the Secretary of State for Transport announced a competition to find a location for the headquarters outside of London. Towns and cities outside of London have the opportunity to participate in the Great British Railways national headquarters selection process, which is being run by the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT).
Under the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the creation of the Great British Railways, a new public body, has been proposed. The establishment of the new body will transform the entire UK rail sector and will change the way railways will work aiming at a comprehensive development. The new entity will own the infrastructure, receive the fare revenue, run and plan the network and set most fares and timetables. Network Rail, the current infrastructure owner, will be absorbed into this new organisation, as will many people and functions from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and the DfT. Great British Railways will own the railways across Great Britain and run them as an integrated system to achieve common outcomes in the public interest.
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