Why is GTR based in Newcastle?

[py_megapixel]

From https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/

Thameslink is a trading name of Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd. Registered in England under number: 07934306. Registered office: 3rd Floor, 41-51 Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6EE.

Why is GTR's registered office in Newcastle, several hundred miles from the area they serve? That seems to make little sense.

 

[Andyh82]

That's the head office of the Go Ahead Group

 

[theironroad]

Have a read on Wikipedia about the ' Go ahead group' and all will be revealed.

 

[py_megapixel]

That's the head office of the Go Ahead Group

Have a read on Wikipedia about the ' Go ahead group' and all will be revealed.

Indeed, for some reason I had in my head that Go-Ahead was based in London.
Thanks for your responses!

 

[DarloRich]

Because Go Ahead Group is really the Northern General Transport Company and is a North East institution.

Arriva is also headquartered in the North East at Sunderland ( although now owned by DB)

 

[Horizon22]

Indeed, for some reason I had in my head that Go-Ahead was based in London.
Thanks for your responses!

Go-Ahead do also have an office in London, but originally as a bus company set up in Newcastle, that's where the "official" head office is.

 

[InOban]

For the same reason that First are based in Aberdeen. All these companies started out as management buyouts of municipal bus companies. Only Stagecoach, based in Perth, is different. It began by running school buses and rural routes in Perthshire.
They grew by buying other municipal operations. Only Edinburgh held on to a majority share in its buses, to its great benefit.

 

[thenorthern]

That is their registered office which as others have pointed out is the head office of Go-Ahead Group. The Registered office is just where their registered office is on paper and that is it other than that it doesn't mean much.

Arriva Rail London, CrossCountry and Chiltern have their registered offices in Sunderland because that is where Arriva is based.

Outside of the railway Stobart Group which is often associated with Carlisle and has their headquarters there but their registered office is in Guernsey and Electricity North West has it's registered office in Jersey.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Outside of the railway Stobart Group which is often associated with Carlisle and has their headquarters there but their registered office is in Guernsey and Electricity North West has it's registered office in Jersey.

Given that Jersey and Guernsey are separate from the UK and have their own laws, the chances are that those businesses have decided that there is some advantage - maybe financial - to being legally based outside the UK.

 

[TUC]

Really good to have a London business registered elsewhere in the UK. It makes a pleasant change!

 

[Mikey C]

Really good to have a London business registered elsewhere in the UK. It makes a pleasant change!

Large private bus groups had already been built up by the time London buses was split up and privatised, so there was little scope for a London based national bus group. And the private bus operators were then in pole position to take rail franchises

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Not to split hairs or anything but Go Aheads head office is in Gateshead, not Newcastle. Wrong side o t’river!

In the split between the Newcastle-Carlisle line after it ducks under the ECML, A strangely square building in amongst the housing estate

 

[mavsk]

Not to split hairs or anything but Go Aheads head office is in Gateshead, not Newcastle. Wrong side o t’river!

That's Go North-East's offices. The Go-Ahead Group HQ is on Grey Street, Newcastle.

 

[fgwrich]

Really good to have a London business registered elsewhere in the UK. It makes a pleasant change!

Large private bus groups had already been built up by the time London buses was split up and privatised, so there was little scope for a London based national bus group. And the private bus operators were then in pole position to take rail franchises

Indeed, don't forget that First Group is still at it's HQ in Aberdeen (Though they do have some London office space in Paddington).

FirstGroup plc
395 King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 5RP

While Stagecoach is headquartered in Perth.

Stagecoach Group Head Office,
10 Dunkeld Road,
Perth,
PH1 5TW

Come to think of it, Arriva is HQ'd in Sunderland and Abellio's is Glasgow, so really none of the big UK Transport Groups are headquartered in London.

Arriva plc
Admiral Way
Doxford International Business Park
Sunderland
SR3 3XP

Abellio UK HQ.
Abellio UK HQ 5th Floor,
The Culzean Building
36 Renfield Street
Glasgow
G2 1LU
United Kingdom

 

[ThameslinkUser]

so really none of the big UK Transport Groups are headquartered in London.

Unless you count the RDG, which is based next to Barbican in the City.

2nd Floor
200 Aldersgate St
Barbican
London
EC1A 4HD

 

[hwl]

From https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/


Why is GTR's registered office in Newcastle, several hundred miles from the area they serve? That seems to make little sense.

The registered company address for legal purposes is in Newcastle as is the Go-Ahead Registered office.

The "real" GTR office is at 24 Monument St, Bridge, London EC3R 8AJ - just next to the fire of London Monument / Monument tube / on the Northern approach to London Bridge about 50m away from the infamous Narwhal tusk incident location.

Customer correspondence address is in Ashby de la Zouch Leicestershire.

The "Head Office" according to Go-Ahead is actually in London.

Head office

The Go-Ahead Group plc
4 Matthew Parker Street
Westminster
London
SW1H 9NP

About 100m north of Parliament Square hidden behind Methodist Central Hall

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Aug 2020 ==

Unless you count the RDG, which is based next to Barbican in the City.

And RSSB (Moorgate), the ROSCOs...

 

[AM9]

The registered company address for legal purposes is in Newcastle as is the Go-Ahead Registered office.

The "real" GTR office is at 24 Monument St, Bridge, London EC3R 8AJ - just next to the fire of London Monument / Monument tube / on the Northern approach to London Bridge about 50m away from the infamous Narwhal tusk incident location.

Customer correspondence address is in Ashby de la Zouch Leicestershire.

The "Head Office" according to Go-Ahead is actually in London.



About 100m north of Parliament Square hidden behind Methodist Central Hall

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Aug 2020 ==


And RSSB (Moorgate), the ROSCOs...

Surely the RDG and RSSB have a busier interface with the ORR & DfT than TOCs and Bus Companies do, so their London locations are more appropriate.

 

[43096]

the ROSCOs...

Of which Porterbrook has its HQ in Derby, though it does also have a London office.