Great British Rail HQ absolutely has to be in York, council chief says

York must "absolutely" win the race to become Britain's new "home of railways", its council leader has said.

The city plans to submit a bid to host the headquarters of Great British Railways (GBR) - a new public body in charge of the UK's train services.

It is expected to face competition from other locations with strong rail industry links such as Darlington and Stockton, Doncaster, and Crewe.

A competition, officially opened on Saturday, will include a public vote.

The government wants GBR , which will manage the country's rail infrastructure and set timetables and ticket prices, to be based outside London.

Mr Aspden said he believed York met the government's application criteria, which includes connectivity to the network and a railway heritage.

"It absolutely has to be York," said the Liberal Democrat councillor.

"I think it would be an absolutely great place for GBR."

He said York had one of the largest city-centre brownfield sites in the UK, located behind the city's railway station.

"We're already in discussions with the government and civil service about creating a government hub on that site," he said.

"It's all about trying to get jobs and opportunities away from London and the south east."

GBR is part of government plans to end fragmentation of the rail network and deliver improvements for passengers.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said expressions of interest would have to be submitted by mid-March.

A shortlist of locations and a public vote would follow, with a final decision announced in the summer.

York is home to the National Railway Museum and train operators, LNER, Northern and Grand Central are all based in the city.

Network Rail is also a major employer in the city, with its training hub also based in York.

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