It was being reported last night that the East Midlands city of Derby has been chosen to host the headquarters of Great British Railways, the industry’s new ‘guiding mind’.

If GBR goes ahead after an Act of Parliament is passed next year, it will take over the management of passenger contracts, formerly known as franchises, and also Network Rail, reducing the role of the Department for Transport so that it will only decide broad policy.

If Derby has been chosen, it will have beaten five other shortlisted entries from Birmingham, Crewe, Doncaster, Newcastle and York, but at least some of those places could be chosen for GBR’s regional centres.

Derby has long claimed to be the greatest ‘railway cluster’ in Europe, and still has Alstom’s train-building works in Litchurch Lane, which was run by Bombardier until recently. Alstom opened a national training academy for apprentices last month, when a plaque was unveiled by veteran Derby South MP Dame Margaret Beckett during National Apprenticeship Week.

Although the choice of Derby has not been confirmed, an announcement is expected soon.