York retains its rail HQ: City is ‘big part of our plans’

“This is a hugely exciting time for the passengers, businesses and communities who will benefit from rail services on the East Coast route. We also have great plans for the committed team of employees that will be part of Virgin Trains East Coast.

“York has a great rail heritage and forms a big part of our plans. As well as continuing to be home to the headquarters for the route, will be opening a new National Academy for Rail Professional Education (NARPE) in 2016, with one of the bases in York.

“While the franchise officially begins in March next year, our team are already planning ahead to build on the strong pride, heritage and success at East Coast. Over the coming months, we will be working closely with employees and the management team to ensure a smooth transition to the new franchise.

“Stagecoach and our partners Virgin see investing in people and delivering great customer service as key to the future. We look forward to welcoming staff into the Stagecoach and Virgin family and making Virgin Trains East Coast a huge success.”

“We fully support this continued investment in the city. It’s important that we support and grow our existing talent pool of 5,000 people working in the rail related industry in York.

“This is great news for everyone who wants better main line services and to emphasise that York is a natural home for the rail industry, with ready access to skilled people and other rail organisations.

“We’ve offered to meet the new operator to discuss how we can work together to improve both rail services and employment opportunities for our city. We hope to meet with them to discuss more on the HQ and academy proposals soon.”