Calls to make Wolverhampton railway capital

Councillor Ellis Turrell said the new body Great British Railways should follow the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities by establishing its headquarters in the city.

He said the city’s railway heritage as well as its connections to the rest of the UK network made it the ideal place for the new organisation to be based.

Wolverhampton Railway Station has also undergone a major refurbishment as part of a £150 million scheme to improve transport across the city.

At the Conservative Party Conference this week, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the launch of a competition to find the town or city which will become the home of Great British Railways.

Mr Shapps said this would bring a number of benefits to the winner, including new jobs.

Despite the competition not being formally launched yet, Tettenhall Wightwick councillor Turrell said he put forward Wolverhampton’s case directly to the secretary of state at the conference.

The competition is looking for a town or city with a rich railway heritage and strong links to the network.

The Government has already committed the national headquarters will be outside London to ensure benefits go beyond the capital.

Councillor Turrell said: “As soon as the Transport Secretary announced a competition to find a town or city to be the headquarters for Great British Railway, I wanted to make sure that Wolverhampton put in an early bid.

“I was delighted to meet Mr Shapps at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester this week, and to put forward the case for our city which has deep, historic ties to the railways and is also well connected to the rest of the network.

“Although the formal competition is yet to launch, it is never too early to stake a claim for Government investment in Wolverhampton and I will use every opportunity to speak up for the city.”

Mr 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.”