A leading member of the Derby rail community says the city’s heritage has “been reborn” following the Government’s decision to name it as the home for the headquarters of the Great British Railways.
Malcolm Prentice, chairman of Swadlincote rail depot maintenance firm MTMS, said Derby has been given “a monumental opportunity” to prosper after it beat off stiff competition in the race to find the ideal place to locate the new public body responsible for running the rail network across the UK.
The city saw off challenges from other shortlisted locations including Birmingham, Crewe, Doncaster, Newcastle and York, all of which pointed to their own rail history in the selection process, which also involved a public vote.
But Derby, which first start making trains in 1839 and is home to the UK’s largest train factory, operated by Alstom, was given the nod, with the announcement being made in Parliament today by transport secretary Mark Harper.
Malcolm has more than 40 years’ experience of working in the city’s rail industry, including at MTMS, which services and maintains rolling stock and equipment at more than one third of rail depots across the UK.
It serves such familiar names in mainline rail as First MTR South-Western Railway, Govia ThamesLink Railway, Arriva and Siemens, and is also a patron of the Midlands Rail Forum, which is the biggest forum of its kind in the UK.
He said: “Whenever you speak to the movers and shakers in the rail industry everyone knows about Derby’s amazing rail heritage and this wonderful decision means that heritage has been reborn.
“It’s a monumental opportunity for the city which deserves a huge celebration, followed by a collective effort from everyone in the city, including the rail forum, to make sure they play an active part in the process of getting the headquarters established.
“Not only does this decision put Derby on the map, it will bring huge benefits to the area because any big players in the rail industry, if they aren’t here already, will want to set up an office in the city.
“This represents a huge boost for all of the companies in the supply chain and for any other businesses in the city, thanks to the influx of investment that this decision will bring.”
For more details on MTMS visit www.mtms.co.uk
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