A letter backing Swindon's bid to become home to Britain's new national railway group has been sent by the town's MPs to the Transport Secretary.
South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland and North Swindon counterpart Justin Tomlinson are among joint authors of a letter to Grant Shapps in support of Swindon becoming the home town of Great British Railways.
The organisation will be in overall charge of railway system infrastructure.
The letter, also signed by Devizes MP Danny Kruger, Chippenham MP Michelle Donelan and North Wiltshire MP James Gray, points out: "Swindon is one of England's most historic railway towns, and the people of Swindon are immensely proud of its railway heritage.
"In the 1840s Swindon, a small market town, was transformed by Great Western Railway, and at its height, the GWR works in Swindon was one of the largest railway engineering complexes in the world.
"While Swindon is immensely proud of its railway heritage, Swindon's bid is also focused on the future, and its potential to establish a national centre of excellence for the railway sector, building on the wealth of rail organisations and businesses already thriving here."
The MPs say Swindon is an ideal location because of its extensive transport links, its impressive technical education and training facilities and the fact that many successful organisations are already headquartered here.
The letter adds: "Many local organisations have supported Swindon's original Expression of Interest, which was submitted back in March. This includes Great Western Railways, Panattoni, Business West, Federation of Small Businesses Somerset and Wiltshire, Arts Council, Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, The Hills Group, ICast (Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies), Mechanics Institute Trust, InSwindon, New College, STEAM Swindon, Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology, Western Gateway, and many more."
The organisation will be in overall charge of railway system infrastructure.
The letter, also signed by Devizes MP Danny Kruger, Chippenham MP Michelle Donelan and North Wiltshire MP James Gray, points out: "Swindon is one of England's most historic railway towns, and the people of Swindon are immensely proud of its railway heritage.
"In the 1840s Swindon, a small market town, was transformed by Great Western Railway, and at its height, the GWR works in Swindon was one of the largest railway engineering complexes in the world.
"While Swindon is immensely proud of its railway heritage, Swindon's bid is also focused on the future, and its potential to establish a national centre of excellence for the railway sector, building on the wealth of rail organisations and businesses already thriving here."
The MPs say Swindon is an ideal location because of its extensive transport links, its impressive technical education and training facilities and the fact that many successful organisations are already headquartered here.
The letter adds: "Many local organisations have supported Swindon's original Expression of Interest, which was submitted back in March. This includes Great Western Railways, Panattoni, Business West, Federation of Small Businesses Somerset and Wiltshire, Arts Council, Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, The Hills Group, ICast (Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies), Mechanics Institute Trust, InSwindon, New College, STEAM Swindon, Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology, Western Gateway, and many more."
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