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Doncaster pitched as ideal location for new Great British Railways HQ

Great British Railways HQ

Doncaster pitched as ideal location for new Great British Railways HQ

Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps recently announced a competition to find the home of the new Great British Railways (GBR) headquarters (HQ) which will bring jobs to those outside of London.

Doncaster is set to bid on the location for the new HQ as it has an extensive railway history linked to the network.

Doncaster’s current daily commute times (York – 20 minutes, Leeds – 30 minutes, Sheffield – 22 minutes, Newcastle – 80 minutes and London – 90 minutes) are a good reason why the town should be considered for the position.

They could “expand the recruitment base for the new HQ, work with other rail hubs and help stimulate local and regional skills and employment”, a spokesperson for Doncaster Council said.

Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones said: “I believe that Doncaster is best placed to bring rail back to the people it serves.

“With an extensive rail history of over 150 years of engineering excellence in the rail sector, Doncaster is a national hub for rail industry manufacturing and infrastructure.

“We have world class rail and engineering education and training facilities here and a skilled workforce, bringing together the hearts, hands and minds of the Great British Railway.

“Our geographic location and transport links are perfectly situated at the heart of the British rail network servicing a massive area of the country.

“Doncaster also has one of the best transport and logistics hubs in England, an international airport that has huge expansion capacity and potential and is located near to i-port hubs.

“Our northern location makes Doncaster a prime spot to become a linchpin for Government plans on levelling up, improving opportunities for people here in innovative, high wage, high productivity industries.

“We have high ambitions here in Doncaster and a track record for getting on and getting things done, which is just what this industry needs.”

Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher said: “Doncaster is a proud railway town with a vibrant, growing economy.

“We built the Mallard here and the Flying Scotsman too, as well as many other trains.

“One of Doncaster’s predecessor MPs, Sir Edmund Beckett, is credited with developing the railways and bringing them to Doncaster.”

Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband said: “As the local MP for Doncaster North, next stop is reopening Askern railway station, which would be great for the community and help protect the environment by offering people a great public transport alternative.”

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Lauren joined the Gi Media team in August 2021.