The Rail Operating Centre (ROC), which would be one of just 14 proposed centres across Britain, that will eventually coordinate and control all rail operations on the London North Eastern route and help to expand the number of rail related jobs in the city. The workforce development centre will consolidate services already provided at several different locations into a single, purpose-built facility.

Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations for Network Rail, said; “York has a proud railway history and these new facilities will allow us to continue that whilst providing a modern, efficient service. The ROC is a key part of our strategy to improve reliability whilst driving down the cost of running and maintaining the railway. It will allow us to retain jobs in the city as well as bringing future employment opportunities to the area, which is vital for long term economic growth and prosperity.”

The proposed ROC, to be located on disused land adjacent to York station, would be the largest centre in the UK and will enable services such as signalling and traffic control to be consolidated into a centralised unit.

The proposals are at an early stage and consultation will be undertaken with the local community and interested groups over the coming months before the plans are finalised.

City.Mobi

Also in Europe today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to London.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

London.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.