Bolton could be on track to welcome Great British Railways (GBR), after the council made the case for the new national transport body to base its headquarters in the town centre.
Last year, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed that GBR’s head office would be based outside of London and announced a competition to decide the location.
Bolton Council has now formally submitted a bid to the Department for Transport, which can be read in full on the Invest in Bolton website.
The bid highlights Bolton’s excellent transport links, the investment being made in regenerating the town centre and the borough’s proud railway heritage.
The proposed GBR site, on land already owned by Network Rail adjacent to the transport interchange, would form part of the broader Trinity Quarter regeneration intervention area.
Trinity Quarter is designed as a mix of residential, commercial and hospitality developments that are anchored by new public realm.
Trinity Quarter is just one part of Bolton Council’s town centre master plan, which has seen the authority set aside £100m to acquire brownfield sites and attract more than £1bn of private investment.
The Department for Transport has said the competition “will recognise towns and cities with a rich railway history that are strongly linked to the network”.
The borough’s train heritage dates back to 1828, when the Bolton and Leigh Railway became just the second public railway in the world.
The Horwich Locomotive Works, opened in 1886, was one of the greatest railway engineering factories in the UK.
The borough has 11 railway stations and Bolton Train Station had 3.2m passengers in 2019/20 making it the busiest in Greater Manchester station outside of the city centre.
Bolton Council Leader, Cllr Martyn Cox, said:
“Bolton town centre is the ideal home for an organisation like Great British Railways.
“The council’s regeneration masterplan is not just about new buildings, but it is also focused on bringing more skilled jobs to Bolton and creating new opportunities for our residents.
“We have a proven record of working with partners to deliver projects like this and I am positive the people of Bolton would welcome GBR with open arms.
“Our borough has a proud railway history and basing this new transport body in the town centre would be a fitting tribute to this industrial heritage.”
Announced in May 2021, Great British Railways is described as a “single, accountable public body responsible for running Britain’s railways”.