A PROPOSED new logo for the body overseeing rail infrastructure across Britain has been revealed.
Great British Railways (GBR) will be a state-owned body that will replace the current infrastructure body Network Rail along with setting timetables and ticket prices and selling tickets in England.
It was announced in May last year by the Tory government and GBR will begin running services from 2023.
The new body will have five "regional" divisions, one for Scotland, another that covers Wales and western England and three more specifically for English regions.
READ MORE: Shona Craven: Tories' rail shake-up isn’t great, and it’s not really ‘British’
While the new logo (below), along with variants that include the GBR and Great British Railways names, was registered on January 11 with the Intellectual Property Office but have not yet been officially registered.
It's not the first time the current Tory government has sought to put the Union flag all over new projects, with plans for an eight-storey tall flag on the side of a Cardiff building shelved due to the price tag.
In Scotland, GBR will have control over railway infrastructure such as rail lines, while ScotRail will maintain most train services across the country.
When GBR was first announced last year, the Scottish Government said they had "not been consulted" on the plans despite the effects on Scotland's railways.
READ MORE: 'Very disappointing': Tory Government slashes Network Rail budget by £1 billion
A Scottish Government spokesperson added: "Full devolution of our railways is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the high performing and responsive services that Scotland’s communities and its economy deserves.
"We have made these points strongly and repeatedly to the UK Government, which has chosen to ignore the views of Scottish ministers who fund Scotland’s Railway.”
The UK Government recently launched a competition to find headquarters for the new GBR public body with the best applicants to be shortlisted in May. A public vote will then determine the winner.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Our railways have kept this country moving for almost 200 years, but it’s time to kickstart a new age that will shape our network for the next 200.
“I’m calling on people across the country to make the case for why the true home of the railways is on your doorstep.”
READ MORE: Boris Johnson's plan for bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland shelved
The ramping up in GBR follows findings from the Union Connectivity Review undertaken by Network Rail chairman Peter Hendy that showed a much-lauded proposal to have a fixed link between Scotland and Northern Ireland "too technically challenging and expensive".
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Scotland Secretary Alister Jack had talked up the idea for a £20 billion bridge or tunnel linking the two nations in an effort to shore up support for the Union since Johnson was elected PM.
A main recommendation from the review was to create a map of strategic locations across the UK and find how best to link them together.
There is no indication from the UK Government that the plans from the Union Connectivity Review will be implemented along with devolved nations, despite transport being a devolved matter.
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