Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, has announced that Derby will be new home for the Head Quarters of Great British Railways.

Derby was picked out of a shortlist of 6 cities (Derby, Birmingham, Crewe, Doncaster, Newcastle and York), and whilst the HQ will be based in the Derbyshire city, other towns and cities across Britain will still benefit.

GB Railways will take control of the rail industry’s finances to deliver efficiency for customers.

The GBR Transition Team will now work out a site in Derby for the HQ.

Mark Harper said “Among an exceptional list of shortlisted applicants, Derby scored highest in the Expression of Interest stage of the competition”

“It’s full steam ahead for the reform of our railways and today’s announcement is not only a huge win for the brilliant city of Derby, but a key milestone for the entire rail industry across the country.

“Great British Railways will put the passenger first, promoting collaboration and innovation across a joined-up, efficient and modern network.”

In response to the announcement that Derby will be the home of Great British Railways’ headquarters, Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners said: “It’s great to see Great British Railways has found its future home in Derby, a city with a rich history of railway heritage and a track record of innovation. The strength of competition for the HQ from other great railway cities up and down the country speaks to the transformative power of rail as an engine for green growth.

“Legislation in the next Parliamentary session is now the critical next step to establishing Great British Railways and maintaining momentum for reform of our railways in the interests of both customers and taxpayers.”

Councillor Chris Poulter, Leader of Derby City Council, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that Derby has been selected to become the home of Great British Railways. This result is a testament to the hard work of our team, alongside our key rail and city partners based across Derby – we couldn’t have done it without them.

“Rail heritage is at the heart of our city and for this to be recognised by Government is a fantastic achievement. The investment we’ll see from this significant move will be huge, not only just for Derby but for levelling up across the whole of the wider East Midlands.

“We have a rich history of being the only city in the UK to have manufactured rolling stock continuously since 1840, so I’m thrilled that Derby’s heritage is being recognised in this defining way. We can’t wait to see what this momentous move will mean for Derby and its citizens in the future.”

Nick Crossfield, Managing Director, Alstom UK & Ireland said: “Derby is the heart of Britain’s rail industry, and a key cluster for advanced engineering manufacturing with the likes of Alstom, Rolls-Royce and Toyota; it is the natural choice to host Great British Railways. Alstom directly employs 2000 of our people in the city and our factory is a leading global centre for train design and advanced manufacturing. Importantly, it is the only site in the UK where trains can be designed, developed, built and tested – as we will be doing for the next generation train for HS2. Having GBR in the city will help foster greater rail sector collaboration and help attract and retain the young people so vital to all our futures.”

Will Rogers, Managing Director, East Midlands Railway, said: “It is absolutely fantastic news that the home of EMR will also be the home of Great British Railways, too.

Although Derby has a proud rail history, we also know it has a bright and exciting future too and we look forward to working closely with GBR, as well as the current rail and engineering cluster to deliver a better and simpler railway for the country in the years to come.”

Elaine Clark, CEO, Rail Forum, said: “GBR will be the guiding mind, and set the strategic direction for, the future of Britain’s railway. Derby is the perfect location for the HQ with access to world-leading supply chain expertise not just in rail but in other transport sectors also. The local cluster of rail companies also sits at the centre of a wider ecosystem of innovation that GBR will be able to tap into. GBR is the future and we are delighted that its home will be here in Derby – our own home for the last 30 years”.

Chris Swan, Chair of the Rail Freight Group, said: “It’s good to see real progress towards the establishment of Great British Railways as a guiding mind for the industry, and the news that the new HQ will be in Derby is welcome progress in driving forward ambitions for the railways.

“Railfreight is vital to the UK’s economic success and there is a real opportunity to make a step change in the amount of freight moved by rail across the country. It’s therefore essential that GBR’s freight and regional teams work closely to ensure the delivery of quality service to freight customers and enable private sector rail operations to flourish.”

Justin Stroud, Managing Director, Europe at Sperry Rail said: “Sperry is delighted that Derby has been selected as the new home for GBR.  Centred geographically in the middle of the UK and surrounded by the largest group of leading railway suppliers, Derby is absolutely the perfect place for the new headquarters. This news gives Sperry continued incentive to invest in its European head office, based here in Derby, and help give local talent the opportunity to be globally successful – affirming again Derby’s prominence as centre of international railway excellence.”

Responding to the announcement, Railway Industry Association Chief Executive, Darren Caplan, said: Congratulations to Derby on becoming the home of GBR, a city with a rich rail heritage! Well done also to the other competitors who were shortlisted, all of which are great rail towns and cities too, and will play a crucial role in the future of UK rail as well.

“Today’s announcement is hopefully a welcome sign that the Government is pressing on with industry reform, so that the supply chain can deliver transformational rail projects effectively and efficiently in future, while delivering value-for-money for the tax and fare payer. It is now crucial that ministers keep their foot on the pedal, to provide the industry with clarity on what reform will look like and ensure that there are no further delays in the development of GBR.”