City set to engage businesses on plan for new rail campus

Derby is looking to capitalise on its reputation as a centre of excellence for rail by creating a new campus devoted to companies and organisations involved in the sector.

Derby City Council and East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, together with the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT), will share the vision for Rail Campus Derby at a special conference, which is due to take place in the city in October.

It will explore opportunities for railway businesses and organisations from across the country to co-locate businesses or key personnel alongside the new headquarters for Great British Railways at the proposed campus.

Speakers from leading national rail organisations and key regional stakeholders will be supporting the conference. Among them will be John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby.

He said: “Marketing Derby is delighted to be invited to speak at this important launch event.

“Attracting GBR to the city was a major coup for Derby – and now there is a real opportunity to attract further investment and create something very special in the form of the new Rail Campus Derby.

“The city is already home to one of the largest clusters of rail companies in the world – if not the largest.

“Co-locating these businesses and key personnel alongside the new GBR headquarters is a powerful proposition – creating a hub of excellence, reflecting the key role our city plays in the rail sector, not just nationally, but across the globe.”

In March last year, following a nationwide competition, the Government named Derby as the new headquarters for GBR in recognition of its world-leading position in the sector.

The importance of Derby was further underlined this year when the long-term future of Alstom’s city factory was secured thanks to a £370 million order for Elizabeth Line trains.

Since then, it has gone on to win further orders. For example, earlier this week, it was announced that the Derby site had secured a £60 million deal to upgrade hundreds of CrossCountry trains.

For more information about the conference and to register visit https://www.railforum.uk/events/launching-rail-campus-derby-supporting-gbr/ .