NEW rail jobs are on their way to York - despite the city losing its status as a headquarters for Railtrack.

Up to 70 new positions are on offer after the maintenance operator's plan to merge the London North East and Anglia Zones was confirmed this week.

The new Eastern Zone means Railtrack's regional headquarters will move from York to London - in a blow to the city's rail pride.

But chiefs today said that York would remain the base for the North East sector of the new zone.

They also revealed that - as a direct result of the merger - they are looking to recruit new staff in the York area.

Among those needed for the delivery team are quantity surveyors, operations managers, engineers and administrative staff. Phil Dargue, general manager for Railtrack North East, said: "I know there is a matter of prestige (regarding the headquarters) but we are not too bothered about that kind of issue.

"There are more staff here than before the merger and we are on the look-out for more.

"This merger means we are putting more people on the shop floor.

"It means work can be done with less bureaucracy and more immediacy. We will be able to get things done." The new Eastern Region will operate and maintain the railway network across one-third of the country.

Railtrack has split that region into four - which includes the North Eastern area - to "focus on frontline delivery".

North Eastern Area is responsible for day-to-day operations and maintenance of the railway network including the East Coast Main Line from Great Heck to the Scottish Border.

Updated: 11:17 Monday, April 15, 2002