Supporters of Carnforth's quest to become Britain's new railways HQ say county bosses would "squander Lancashire's trump card for investment" if they backed Preston instead.
Heritage group Lancaster Civic Vision said that Carnforth would be a better choice than Preston as the new national HQ for the Great British Railways.
"Lancaster Civic Vision have been alerted by David Morris MP that, despite over 350 people having signed our petition, the county council are going to submit a bid for Preston," said a Lancaster Civic Vision spokesperson.
However, Lancashire County Council said no final decisions on a bid have been made.
It was announced on Monday that Lancaster City Council would be putting in an official bid to support Carnforth as the first ever national HQ for Great British Railways.
Lancaster Civic Vision has created a petition to rally public support for the idea.
"Lancaster Civic Vision are of the opinion that the British public’s high degree of awareness and affection for Carnforth, as a result of Brief Encounter, gives it a very significant competitive advantage in the public voting stage of the selection process," said the spokesperson.
"Carnforth is the only location in Lancashire with this advantage. By opting for Preston we believe that the County Council are squandering this trump card to secure the investment for Lancashire.
"The bid must be Carnforth!
"There are many reasons why Carnforth represents the best option for this investment. These include the contribution that this would make to the Levelling Up agenda, a strategic position close to the M6, a long history of being a critical rail base and iron processing centre, and the fact that the area remains a major supplier of stock and engines for maintenance and supply of excursion trains with skilled staff.
"Carnforth Station already has an iconic status with the British public as a result of it featuring in the classic film Brief Encounter."
David Morris, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said: "There are places like York and Crewe going for it, and I believe Preston is going to be putting in through the county council."
A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said: "No final decisions have been taken at this point, but we are looking carefully at the details of the competition to consider whether to make a bid, which includes considering possible locations and how this could fit in with our overall ongoing regeneration and economic development work to bring jobs and growth to the county."
For more on the Great British Railways HQ national competition see our story here.
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