Great British Railways - Competition for new location of GBR Headquarters

[Fazaar1889]

Anyone wanna give a quick history lesson as to why Derby is relevant in the UK's rail history?

 

[WAB]

Anyone wanna give a quick history lesson as to why Derby is relevant in the UK's rail history?

The Wikipedia page for Derby gives all the main points.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It was the meeting point of three early railways opened in 1839-40 (the Birmingham & Derby Junction, the Midland Counties (Rugby-Leicester-Derby/Nottingham) and the North Midland (Derby-Sheffield-Leeds/York) which amalgamated to form the Midland Railway in 1844.
Everything flows from that.

The Great Northern arrived from Nottingham later in 1878 (at Friargate station) but its route through Derby has disappeared since closure in the 1960s.

 

[12LDA28C]

Anyone wanna give a quick history lesson as to why Derby is relevant in the UK's rail history?

Have you read the previous post #300?

Derby has had a railway Works and been a centre of railway manufacturing for many years, it's a classic railway town similar to Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon.

 

[midland1]

Well 100 years after the grouping it looks like the Midland have won after all!

 

[Fazaar1889]

It was the meeting point of three early railways opened in 1839-40 (the Birmingham & Derby Junction, the Midland Counties (Rugby-Leicester-Derby/Nottingham) and the North Midland (Derby-Sheffield-Leeds/York) which amalgamated to form the Midland Railway in 1844.
Everything flows from that.

The Great Northern arrived from Nottingham later in 1878 (at Friargate station) but its route through Derby has disappeared since closure in the 1960s.

Very interesting, thank you!

The Wikipedia page for Derby gives all the main points.

Thanks

 

[Western Sunset]

Well 100 years after the grouping it looks like the Midland have won after all!

Of course, they were "The Best Way".

 

[midland1]

Will we be seeing LNER and GWR Class 800s painted in crimson lake ?

 

[zwk500]

Will we be seeing LNER and GWR Class 800s painted in crimson lake ?

Unlikely, but you might see a return to the Midland's policy of permanently underpowering their engines!

 

[jayah]

does it say if they will be headquartered in the t

The Guardian is reporting that Derby is expected to be named the new headquarters of Britain’s rail network by ministers this week.


https://www.theguardian.com/busines...q-britain-rail-network-great-british-railways

The public should get zero say or influence on the location.

A normal business would look at where its customers and operations are.

A normal business would look at its staff and talent.

It would look at the availability of skilled labour, labour costs and office rental.

It would look at how the current locations and organisation could be fitted to the proposal without causing massive redundancy costs, skill gaps and other business risks.

The last thing you would do is have some sort of public vote or sweepstake for the HQ location, unless it is a brass plate outfit, in which case it can go anywhere.

 

[grumpyoldman01]

Will we be seeing LNER and GWR Class 800s painted in crimson lake ?

- and named the Wyvern class

 

[Wynd]

Good result. Derby needs the investment.

 

[zwk500]

Good result. Derby needs the investment.

Don't hold your breath for a substantive change. Quadrant:MK retains all it's functions, I imagine most of Square One Manchester will do so as well. There isn't much (if anything) left in Eversholt Street any more.

The New HQ could, in theory, be not much more than a reception desk, PO Box number and a boardroom to host visiting Transport Ministers.

 

[Bald Rick]

Don't hold your breath for a substantive change. Quadrant:MK retains all it's functions, I imagine most of Square One Manchester will do so as well. There isn't much (if anything) left in Eversholt Street any more.

This is correct. The last NR occupants at Eversholt St moved out earlier this month AIUI. It ceases to become NR official HQ shortly too.

The New HQ could, in theory, be not much more than a reception desk, PO Box number and a boardroom to host visiting Transport Ministers.

It will be a bit more than that, I guess. But not much.

 

[JamesT]

My understanding was that GBR would inherit some functions currently carried out by the DfT, so presumably those staff would move to Derby along with whatever bits of NR that aren’t elsewhere?

 

[KashmireHawker]

The Guardian is reporting that Derby is expected to be named the new headquarters of Britain’s rail network by ministers this week.


https://www.theguardian.com/busines...q-britain-rail-network-great-british-railways

Even if I am a West Midlander, this is a good result for the wider region and I hope this is a realisation by Government that there sledgehammer on services and plans in the East Midlands, has been both heavily miscalculated and totally wrong.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Don't hold your breath for a substantive change. Quadrant:MK retains all it's functions, I imagine most of Square One Manchester will do so as well. There isn't much (if anything) left in Eversholt Street any more.

The New HQ could, in theory, be not much more than a reception desk, PO Box number and a boardroom to host visiting Transport Ministers.

Do NR own the building in Manchester? Could they save on rent in Derby?

 

[station_road]

Do NR own the building in Manchester? Could they save on rent in Derby?

No, it's owned by HS2 and NR are due to move out of it in the next few years

 

[D365]

Anyone wanna give a quick history lesson as to why Derby is relevant in the UK's rail history?

Thousands of rolling stock jobs - the vast majority of the UK's rolling stock engineering expertise is still based in and around Derby.

The last thing you would do is have some sort of public vote or sweepstake for the HQ location, unless it is a brass plate outfit, in which case it can go anywhere.

I would suspect you're not far off the truth!

 

[zwk500]

My understanding was that GBR would inherit some functions currently carried out by the DfT, so presumably those staff would move to Derby along with whatever bits of NR that aren’t elsewhere?

Could, rather than would. But that's not likely to be many staff and GBR will presumably have some kind of London office still, so it depends how they manage it.
I would expect the positions to move but filled with new hires from the Derby area personally. Not least because moving staff out of London makes it very hard to stop paying them London rated. You cam advertise a new post in Derby for a lot less than a Civil Service salary.

 

[Snow1964]

Further news story that Derby has won, from ITV

Derby has been announced as the winning location for the Great British Railways headquarters.

The Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, confirmed that the East Midlands city would be home to the headquarters of the new public body responsible for running the rail network across the UK.

The city has fought off competition from other shortlisted locations including Birmingham, Crewe, Doncaster, Newcastle and York.

It scored the highest in a six-week public vote, with over 5,000 votes between Derby and the undisclosed second place city.

https://www.itv.com/news/central/2023-03-21/derby-announced-as-home-for-great-british-railways-headquarters

 

[Bletchleyite]

An interesting question is exactly how much of the functions they will move there from elsewhere. It would seem odd to abandon the huge Milton Keynes building not that long after having built it, for one.

 

[The Planner]

An interesting question is exactly how much of the functions they will move there from elsewhere. It would seem odd to abandon the huge Milton Keynes building not that long after having built it, for one.

Hardly any I suspect, I doubt anyone is going to move out of the Quadrant.

 

[zwk500]

An interesting question is exactly how much of the functions they will move there from elsewhere. It would seem odd to abandon the huge Milton Keynes building not that long after having built it, for one.

Q:MK is not proposed to move at this time. Nothing is confirmed, but It was made pretty clear when the competition started that Q:MK wasn't part of the equation.

 

[WAB]

Derby confirmed as home of Great British Railways
Derby has been announced as the location to host the headquarters of new public sector body Great British Railways (GBR).
Transport Secretary Mark Harper confirmed the decision on Tuesday following reports that the East Midlands city had been successful in its bid.
The unsuccessful shortlisted locations were Birmingham, Crewe, Doncaster, Newcastle and York.

“It also scored highest in the six-week public vote, attracting 45,600 votes, more than 5,000 ahead of the second placed location in a total vote of 205,000.GBR’s transition team will “work with Derby to identify the site for the HQ within the city, which will represent value for money for the taxpayer,” Mr Harper said.
He claimed the Midlands is “already a transport supercluster for Britain” with Department for Transport and HS2 bases in Birmingham.
The Cabinet minister said: “Bringing GBR HQ to Derby represents a further boost to the region’s transport sector and demonstrates our commitment to levelling up the country.”
He added: “Other towns and cities will also benefit from hosting empowered regional GBR hubs equipped with decision-making and investment powers aimed at benefiting their local communities.
“GBR will support jobs spanning across Great Britain including the North, South East, South West and London.”

Looks like there will be regional offices too - which begs the question whether they will be anything more then ghost offices given how few roles are actually proposed to be incorporated into GBR?

 

[pdeaves]

Looks like there will be regional offices too - which begs the question whether they will be anything more then ghost offices given how few roles are actually proposed to be incorporated into GBR?

It's very much 'being seen' to do something new and improved, rather than actually achieving a practical difference.

 

[grumpyoldman01]

This how the Derby Telegraph has reported the news:

Hundreds of new jobs as city is chosen for railway headquarters

It will be at the centre of controlling the country's rail network

www.derbytelegraph.co.uk

 

[Bartsimho]

Could, rather than would. But that's not likely to be many staff and GBR will presumably have some kind of London office still, so it depends how they manage it.
I would expect the positions to move but filled with new hires from the Derby area personally. Not least because moving staff out of London makes it very hard to stop paying them London rated. You cam advertise a new post in Derby for a lot less than a Civil Service salary.

I would hope that Labour would potentially see it as a way to solidify the support for the Red Wall and having Derby be relevant would be important to that.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It was the ideal opportunity to confirm the GBR structure, functions and leadership, but there is nothing in the DfT announcement apart from the location of the HQ.
Some people will have to move there, including some who work for DfT, NR and TOCs.
You'd expect the GBRTT (Transition Team) to be there.

Derby named as home of Great British Railways HQ

Derby has been selected to become the home of Great British Railways, delivering high-skilled jobs to the region.

www.gov.uk

Great British Railways headquarters

Derby has been chosen as the city to be the future headquarters of Great British Railways (GBR).

www.gov.uk

Derby will become the heart of Great Britain’s rail industry, bringing together track and train, as well as revenue and cost. This means we will finally treat the railway as the whole system it should be rather than a web of disparate interests that it’s become. Passengers will no longer face the excuse-making and blame-shifting of years past. Instead, GBR will be wholeheartedly customer-focussed, serving as the single point of accountability for the performance of the railway. The rail campus, led by GBR HQ, will help position the industry to achieve this.

GBR will put customers at the heart of its reforms. It will reinvigorate the role of the private sector to help drive innovation with an unrelenting focus on quality, customer service and experience. Under GBR, rail journeys, buying tickets and ticket prices will be easier, simpler and fairer.

 

[zwk500]

I would hope that Labour would potentially see it as a way to solidify the support for the Red Wall and having Derby be relevant would be important to that.

I think you're vastly overestimating the significance of this one office. Red wall voters from the North East aren't going to care one bit about Derby. Manchester voters might be upset if their jobs in Square one are moved to Derby.