Derby expected to be named as new Great British Railways headquarters

A purple express train at a station
Derby is expected to be named as home to the new headquarters of Britain's railways, according to reports. Credit: East Midlands Railway

Derby is expected to be named as home to the new headquarters of Britain's railways, according to reports.

It will be confirmed as the home of new public sector body Great British Railways (GBR), according to the Guardian newspaper.

Derby is understood to have fought off competition from other shortlisted locations including Birmingham, Crewe, Doncaster, Newcastle and York.

In October the Government announced a competition would begin to find a city to host the new service HQ.

Great British Railways will be the new public body responsible for running the network across the UK.

The criteria for selection included alignment to levelling-up, transport connections, railway heritage and value for money.

The headquarters will host high-skilled jobs and provide a strategic direction to GBR.

The Department for Transport (DfT), which will announce the decision shortly, said it does not comment on speculation.

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.

Derby City Council launched its bid to be home of Great British Railways HQ. Credit: Derby City Council

Derby City Council said previously that the city can draw on 180 years of rail heritage, and is placed in the centre of the UK, making it a travel hub.

It's also a centre for manufacturing, with both Rolls Royce and Toyota major employers in the area.

Derby is already home to the UK's largest train factory - owned by Alstom - where around 2,000 people are employed.

The body's tasks will including issuing passenger service contracts to privatecompanies to run trains.

It was due to be launched in early 2024 but that timetable has been scrapped.

Then-transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan told MPs in October last year that the Government axed its plan to introduce a Transport Bill during the current parliamentary session because legislation to deal with the energy crisis was being prioritised.

Derby's bid to host the headquarters named a potential location as the formersite of the Railway Technical Centre in the south-east of the city, which hasbeen developed into a business park.