Nub News is throwing its support behind Crewe's bid to be the home of Great British Railways.

We are backing the bid for the GBR headquarters to come to the Cheshire town across all of our 51 sites around the country.

Nub News believes Crewe's bid is the right one for the whole of the county, its strong connectivity, expertise, heritage and infrastructure making it the ideal location to ensure the benefits of the headquarters will flow out around Britain.

Trains passing through Congleton will be operated by the new Crewe HQ - should they win the bid. The public will be able to vote for where they think the GBR HQ should be this May. (Image - CC 4.0 Unchanged bit.ly/3sp3iAK Gator2018)

We can also announce that our own headquarters will be moving to Crewe in the near future - showing our backing for the town.

The Government is setting up Great British Railways to simplify the railways in Britain.

This new public body will have responsibility for owning Britain's rail infrastructure, collecting fare revenue, running and planning the network, and setting most fares and timetables.

It will oversee rail transport from 2023 with the exception of Transport for London services and light rail and trams elsewhere in Great Britain and replace Network Rail. 

It will also control the contracting of passenger train services, the setting of fares and timetables, and the collection of fare revenue in most of England.

A shortlist is expected to be announced this May, which will be followed by a non-binding public vote. A decision on where the headquarters will be located is expected this summer.

Nub News' CEO Karl Hancock is from Crewe. (Image - Nub News)

Karl Hancock, CEO of Nub News, said: "We are delighted to be backing Crewe's bid to be the home of Great British Railways.

"Crewe has for a long time been at the heart of rail in this country and rail is at the heart of the town - it truly can offer the heritage, infrastructure and expertise needed to make this opportunity a success for the whole country.

"Whether you are reading this in Cheshire, the Midlands, London, Dorset, Devon, or anywhere else in the country, here at Nub News we believe this is a bid not just for the people of Crewe but the entire country.

"It is one of the best connected towns in the country and I'm sure many of our readers have gone through it on the train or even changed there.

"The levelling-up impacts that GBR will bring to Crewe won't simply stay there, but will flow throughout the country due to these strong links.

"Alongside this, we are pleased that our own headquarters will soon be moving to Crewe.

"As Nub News continues to grow, we want to make sure we are connected to our communities in Cheshire but also around the country - and we think Crewe is the place to do that.

"Soon, the public will have the chance to vote on where Great British Railways should be. We'd urge all of our communities to get behind Crewe."

Crewe's bid to become the GBR HQ was officially submitted on March 16. (Image - Ryan Parker).

Crewe's bid was submitted by Cheshire East Council and its partners.

Cllr Sam Corcoran, Leader of Cheshire East Council, said: "We're really pleased that Crewe's bid has the backing of Nub News so we can get our message out there to our audiences.

"We're proud of the bid we have submitted. We firmly believe this is a great bid for Crewe, for Cheshire East and that the benefits that bringing this opportunity here will flow around the country.

"We also look forward to welcoming Nub News to the town. Businesses choosing to invest in Crewe is a real vote of confidence and really highlights our strong links to the rest of the country."

Cllr Craig Browne, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council, said: "There aren't many towns in the country more closely associated with the railways than Crewe.

"Bringing Great British Railways here will be the next step in our long and proud rail history.

"We want to take the public with us on this journey and show them why this is a great opportunity, as well as telling the whole country why we are the right place for the headquarters.

"The support of Nub News will help us to do this, especially when it comes to the public vote.

"Anyone who wants to can pledge their support to our campaign and get updates by going to www.gbrcrewe.co.uk."