BACK in September the Evening Press revealed Railtrack was looking to move its regional headquarters away from York. We discovered that Railtrack's London North Eastern zone was to be merged with its East Anglian zone. And York was not first choice for the combined HQ.

Railtrack's going into administration looked set to scupper the zone merger, but it has now been confirmed. York is being stripped of its HQ, with London taking over.

That is the bad news. The good news is that more Railtrack jobs are being created in York.

Nevertheless, the downgrade is a body blow. Railtrack is "not too bothered" about the loss of prestige, but everyone who takes pride in York's long history as a railway city will be very bothered.

It is a most unfortunate move for passengers. The railway industry is already far too London-centric: the broken promise over a direct service from York to the Channel Tunnel is evidence of that.

A Railtrack boss based in this city understood the needs and gripes of northern passengers. Last year, director of the North Eastern zone Robin Gisby came into the Press offices to answer questions from readers on our Internet site. This close relationship between a senior rail chief and the passengers has now been lost.

Railtrack has gone from planning to build a new York headquarters to stripping the city of its existing HQ. Such managerial see-sawing, indicative of the short-term approach that has blighted our rail industry, frustrates passengers and leaves staff in the lurch.

The Railtrack HQ decision comes soon after Arriva revealed it would move its TransPennine Express headquarters from York to Leeds should it win the franchise. And if GNER misses out on its East Coast Main Line franchise, its HQ, too, could disappear.

Conversely, three rail firms have recently announced major investments in York. At least some in the industry still recognise its importance as the railway capital of the North.

Updated: 10:42 Monday, April 15, 2002