Public urged to back Newcastle in competition for Great British Railways headquarters

Newcastle City Council are leading the bid to bring the Great British Railways new national headquarters to the North East, with support from NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) and are asking for the city’s support.

Voting is now open to the general public from 5th July – 15th August and the results will be used to measure the level of support for each destination and will be considered as part of the final decision making.

Newcastle beat off stiff competition from over 40 other UK towns and cities, and is now in the running alongside Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster and York.

Newcastle City Council and NGI are urging everyone to vote for Newcastle and help their city win.

The competition seeks to recognise places with a rich railway heritage, strong links to the national network and public support for the selected location, creating a great opportunity to promote communities as the proud home for the start of a new era in Britain’s railways.

Leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Nick Kemp, said: “It’s fantastic news that Newcastle has been shortlisted as the location for the headquarters of Great British Railways. We have a strong and proud history with the railways going back generations so I cannot think of a better home for this new headquarters.

“This announcement is not only a vote of confidence in the city, a potentially significant investment, but also the opportunity to bring new jobs to Newcastle.

“We have to compete against five other towns and cities on the shortlist, so I urge as many people as possible to back us in the public vote and let’s win this for Newcastle.”

Jennifer Hartley, director of Invest Newcastle (part of NewcastleGateshead Initiative) who led on the bid to bring the Great British Railways headquarters to Newcastle, said: “As the birthplace of the railways, we could not be prouder that Newcastle has made the official shortlist to become the new headquarters for the GBR HQ. This is a visible commitment to the levelling up agenda, we could not think of a more fitting home.

“Newcastle is the home of the locomotive and is a destination with a rich historic relevance – our offer is compelling. Our sites at Stephenson Quarter and Forth Goods Yard are perfectly aligned to GBR requirements, providing strong links to our railway heritage, the UK, and the rest of the world.

“The economic and social impact of this national investment will leave a lasting legacy and will benefit the whole region, creating jobs and opportunity at all levels and acting as catalyst for further regeneration and investment. An exciting new chapter in the history of our railways.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who played their part in developing the bid, this would not be possible without the support of our partners. We look forward to this next step and encourage everyone to vote for Newcastle.”

To find out more and vote, visit here: https://www.ngi.org.uk/great-british-railways-hq-vote-newcastle/