RAILWAY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
number of electrification schemes due to cost overruns. RIA’s Electrification Cost Challenge report, published in March 2019, shows how the cost of electrification can be reduced by up to 50% in comparison with some past projects. programme of electrification for the core network, whilst developing new technologies like hydrogen, battery and hybrids for regional lines. Supporting Major Projects The UK rail network needs major projects to deliver additional capacity. We continue to support HS2 and Crossrail, but we also seek to ensure support is maintained for Northern Powerhouse Rail, East West Rail, Trans Pennine Route Upgrade, Midlands Rail Hub and Crossrail 2 – all of which will provide significant RIA is urging the Government to develop a ten-year rolling economic boosts across the UK as well as improving connectivity and capacity. Preparing for Brexit Brexit poses a number of challenges and opportunities for the rail industry.
Challenges include the need for certainty on whether rail standards will be harmonised, diverged, or a mixture of the two, ensuring there is continued access to certain a skilled workforce and avoiding any overly bureaucratic tariff or non-tariff barriers, which could cause border delays for exporting suppliers. The main opportunity is the role of rail in trade deals. Given the size and strategic significance of rail to UK plc, it is important the rail sector is included in – and takes advantage of – trade deals when the Department for International Trade negotiates with non-EU and EU countries. RIA is working to ensure the challenges are mitigated whilst the In 2019, RIA secured a campaign win with the publication of the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline. The publication provides some visibility of upcoming projects and was the result of significant campaigning by RIA, including: • We met with parliamentarians across the parties • We produced a SURE poster, opportunities are seized. Rail Enhancements
including a hard-hitting logo, which we took to the party conferences • We ramped up the PR, and secured an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to talk specifically about the enhancements issue • We conducted a progress review to report on how far the Government had implemented the Transport Select Committee’s recommendations, since first agreed 12 month’s previous, in September 2018 • We launched an Enhancements Clock, showing the amount of time since the Government committed to publishing the RNEP list of projects without yet doing so – this stood at one year and 26 days when the new Ministerial team at the DfT made its announcement and at last released the list on 26 October, just ahead of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ first appearance before the Transport Select Committee In 2020, we will continue to monitor these developments on behalf of its members in the months ahead.
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