Shapps launches the search to find the home of Great British Railways
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Competition will be launched to find the location – outside of
London – for the national HQ of Great British Railways. Shapps
confirms that the forerunner to Great British Railways is now up
and running, focused on the recovery of the railways following the
pandemic. Part of the Conservative Government’s Plan for Rail –
delivering on our promise to scrap franchising to deliver better
services for passengers. Transport Secretary...Request free trial
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has today announced that a national competition will be held to find the first home of the new Great British Railways organisation. The headquarters of Britain's unified rail system will be in a city or town outside of London, bringing high value jobs and investment to the chosen area, in line with the Conservatives’ levelling up agenda, and marking a new era in an industry gifted by this country to the world. Through the competition, Great British Railways will recognise towns and cities with a rich railway heritage that are strongly linked to the rail network. Great British Railways was announced in May as part of the Plan for Rail – delivering on the Conservatives’ manifesto pledge to end the outdated, complicated franchising model and replace it with a simpler system that delivers better outcomes for passengers. Great British Railways will sit at the head of the new system – integrating the railways, owning the infrastructure, collecting fare revenue, running and planning the network and setting most fares and timetables. A new GBR website will sell tickets, which will be simplified and made available online and on mobile as standard. Private companies, which have contributed to nearly three decades of growth on the railways, will continue to compete to run services, but will focus more on delivering outstanding customer service while GBR takes on responsibility for timetables and most fares. The Transport Secretary has today also announced that the forerunner to Great British Railways – the Great British Railways Transition Team – is beginning the work of transforming the fragmented rail system into a streamlined sector focused on delivering for the passenger. The Transition Team, headed by respected industry leader Andrew Haines, will be responsible for driving forward the planned reforms over the years ahead. The Transport Secretary has set out the founding principles that will guide its efforts over the coming months, in order to achieve the level of change passengers deserve. GBR Transition Team will:
Commenting, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "Great British Railways deserves a great new home, and the competition is on to find the city or town that will become the future capital of our railway industry. "For the winner it will mean a new employer offering high value jobs for decades to come. "GBR is no longer a concept but a reality as the Transition Team begins the work of consolidating our fractured rail industry under one banner - a brand that I am determined will be synonymous with excellent customer service." Throughout the pandemic the Government has stepped in with more than £14 billion of support to keep the railways open for key workers. The Conservatives are now getting on with the job of delivering better services for passengers and growing the network for years to come. We have recently launched new flexible season tickets to recognise new ways of working, and delivering on our manifesto commitment to reopen lines that were closed around the time of the Beeching Cuts in the 1960s. The first Beeching reopening will be the line between Exeter and Okehampton – with passenger services back running later this year. ENDS Notes to Editors
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