St Helens bids for Great British Railways headquarters

The site of the former Parkside Colliery has been proposed as the new location for the headquarters

St Helens is bidding to become the home of a new national body for the country's railways.

The council has submitted an expression of interest to the government to host the Great British Railways headquarters at Parkside in Newton-le-Willows.

It is part of a competition by the Department for Transport to find a home for the headquarters outside of London.

Council leader David Baines said it would bring a "significant numbers of jobs, investment and economic growth".

He said: "While many places claim to be the home of the railway, there can be no denying our borough really does hold that title.

"It was the birthplace of Stephenson's Rocket, saw the very first modern passenger railway with the opening of the Liverpool Manchester Railway in 1830 and the first railway viaduct in the world at Sankey Valley."

He added that it was not just the borough's history that made it a "first-class choice" as Parkside is "poised to become one of the most strategically important employment sites in the North West".

'Nowhere better'

Other areas have already put forward their bids including Crewe, Southampton, Doncaster, York and Carlisle.

St Helens Borough Council has entered the competition in partnership with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said there was "nowhere better to become the new home of the Great British Railways HQ".

He said St Helens was "at the vanguard of rail innovation" for almost two centuries, driving investment and creating jobs in the region.

As part of the bid the council and the combined authority will contact key organisations and businesses to get their backing.

A shortlist will be announced in May before the winner is announced in the summer.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]