It’s great to see two Yorkshire cities bidding to be the national headquarters of Great British Railways.

Doncaster and York are increasing their promotion to be the chosen location for GBR. And both have a fine railway history.

Doncaster was the birthplace of both Mallard (which holds the speed record of 126mph) and Flying Scotsman (the first steam locomotive to reach 100mph).

Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster, called on “the whole of Doncaster and South Yorkshire to promote our town as the ideal place to locate Great British Rail. Winning this bid will bring huge benefits to the town”.

York City Council leader Keith Aspden has argued the merits of the city, saying: “York is the natural home for Great British Railways, standing at the heart of the UK’s rail network and with a rail history stretching back centuries.”

Elsewhere in Yorkshire, Wakefield is also in the running – and further afield are Carnforth, Swindon and Didcot. All have a fine railway pedigree.

Meanwhile, the rail supply community has set out five ‘tests’ for Great British Railways to ensure a smooth transition to the new body.

These are the key dates in the announcement of the location for the GBR HQ:

Stage 1 – Expression of interest deadline: 16 March 2022

Stage 2 – Shortlist announced: May 2022

Stage 3 – Ministerial visits to shortlisted places and a public vote: May 2022

Stage 4 – Headquarters’ location announced: Summer 2022

If you missed my initial thoughts last October, here’s the link to my post ‘Destination unknown’. The guessing game continues …