Mayor blames Government over Doncaster rail college closure as she confirms new plans

The college, which was built to train the next generation of engineers to work on HS2 projects, will close this summer after struggling to remain sustainable, with the loss of 40 jobs.

And she has laid the blame for the collapse of the project squarely at the door of a succession of Tory Prime Ministers, but said the building would now have a new use under the City of Doncaster Council.

She said: “HS2 has been significantly cut back following years of uncertainty.

"Northern Powerhouse Rail was originally put forward in 2014, before being scaled down by Boris Johnson, then a promise of the scheme in full by Liz Truss, then scaled back yet further by Rishi Sunak, bringing us to where we stand now, with the HS2 eastern leg stopping in the West Midlands.

"Doncaster and wider Yorkshire are set to gain absolutely nothing from HS2, yet the blight on communities including the Shimmer Estate in Mexborough remains in place.

The college, later renamed the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure, will close in July.

She said: “It is undeniable that the lack of consistency in government railway investment has hindered NCATI since it opened.

“I do not want to see NCATI as an empty building for long, therefore Doncaster Council have offered to step in to secure its future with a new education and skills offer that works for Doncaster.

“We have opened a dialogue with the Department for Education and are putting forward our vision for the building, which is directly aligned to our economic/ education and skills strategies.”

The purpose-built campus near the city’s iPort rail freight terminal opened in 2017, but struggled to attract high student numbers, partly because rail engineering firms were unable to finalise apprentice numbers until HS2 contracts had been awarded.

The college was taken over by the University of Birmingham in 2021 when it was renamed the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure.

Around 170 students will be transferred to complete their training courses at other providers.