Fears that Great British Railways has been scrapped following reports that work has stalled

Over the weekend it was reported that the Great British Railways (GBR) project may be scrapped, according to insiders working on the project.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson yesterday said that they were “not aware” that plans had changed for Great British Rail, but was not able to confirm whether the location of the headquarters would still be announced this year as planned.

The project committed to establishing a headquarters in one of Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster, Newcastle-upon-Tyne or York.

Mr Shapps had led plans which would replace the UK’s rail franchise model, and modernise its ticketing system before being sacked by Liz Truss earlier this year.

He is now one of the MPs who is most publicly critical of the Prime Minister, with suggestions that he could be a caretaker prime minister if she were to be forced out of office by her own party.

Insiders told the i newspaper that work on the project had stalled, prompting fears over its future.The Department for Transport was contacted for comment.

The uncertainty over GBR’s future has prompted industry figures to call for clarity over its future.

The Railway Industry Association yesterday sent an open letter to Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the new Transport Secretary, saying “the current ambiguity risks causing a hiatus in rail work”.

“Whilst RIA and its members acknowledge we have a new Transport Secretary and Rail Minister and that they will need time to bed in to their new roles, the railway industry really does need confirmation now of when and how the new Government intends to establish GBR,” it said.