Great British Railways HQ rumoured to be scrapped weeks after Doncaster loses bid

In March, it was announced that Derby would be the new home of Great British Railways HQ, the hub for a new service overseeing rail across the country.

Doncaster was one of the six shortlisted cities in the running for the position, with hope from officials in the region that it would win due to its rail history.

Now, the project could be scrapped after The Times reported that there is no mention of it in the upcoming King’s Speech.

The King’s Speech sets out Parliament’s agenda for the upcoming year, with the upcoming potentially being the last before the next general election.

Sources at The Times claimed that rail is not high up on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s priority list and the project could be quietly scrapped.

According to Derbyshire Live however, a spokesman for the Department for Transport said:

“The Government remains fully committed to reforming our railways and will introduce legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows, having already taken numerous steps towards reform.”

It comes after 42 cities used council budgets to submit bids for the project.

The six shortlisted locations, Doncaster, Derby, Birmingham, Crewe, Newcastle and York, then ran further campaigns.

Doncaster’s campaign was supported by leaders across South Yorkshire including Doncaster’s three MPs, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and the region’s Chambers of Commerce.