RAILWAY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
RAILWAY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
Dear Colleague Welcome to the Railway Industry Association’s inaugural 2020 Yearbook, designed to showcase the
really has been a difficult period for industry decision-makers to plan for the future. The possibi l ity of a General Election or changes to Ministerial roles at the end of 2019 / start of 2020 means this uncertainty looks set to continue 2020 – priorities In 2020, RIA will be working on a number of priorities, including: • Smoothing out ‘boom and bust’ rail investment – ensuring consistency of upcoming activity in infrastructure, rolling stock, digitalisation and electrification • Supporting major projects – whether Crossrail, HS2, Transpennine Route Upgrade, Northern Powerhouse Rail, London Deep Tube, Crossrail 2, Midlands Rail Hub, East-West Rail, and more, it is important that we seek to secure as much political and media support as possible
• Seeking decarbonisation and digitalisation of the rail network – through electrification and traction modes such as hydrogen, battery, bi-mode and tri-mode, and a signalling plan which avoids boom and bust too • Promoting innovation in the railway industry – working closely with academia, business and clients like Network Rail to find better new and effective ways of doing things • Brexit – whatever the settlement on this, seeking for the supply chain for trade to be as frictionless as possible, standards as harmonised as possible, access to a skilled workforce, but also taking advantage of the push towards higher rail exports and strong visibility for rail in any trade deals
railway industry as a positive career choice; and continuing to see if there are ways to increase private financing in the rail network. Promoting the positives of rail However, we will continue in 2020 to promote the positive aspects of the rail industry. The fact it delivers over £36 billion in economic benefits, supports some 600,000 jobs and £11 billion in tax revenue, and that for every pound spent on the railways, £2.20 of income is generated in the wider economy, showing rail is not just important in its own right but is also crucial for UK plc more widely. As we look to the future, despite the uncertainty there are reasons for the railway industry and its suppliers to be optimistic. Passenger numbers and freight have gown massively in the last 20 years, and long-term are set to continue. The Government and Opposition parties seem committed to strong rail infrastructure investment, as evidenced by the £48bn in CP6. And even with political and Brexit uncertainty, our members tell us that if
only we can make inroads on some of those priority issues above, they are ready to invest more in people, skills, plant and equipment, to help build the customer- focused, world-class, railway of the future we all want to see, both at home and abroad. Get involved So RIA will do everything it can to try to deliver for you, our valued members. For your part, please do come along and participate in our various forums, meetings, events and initiatives, so we can not only build a better railway, but also build an even better RIA in the New Year too.
How RIA can work for you RIA’s first priority will always be ensuring we are representing and supporting you, the membership. Our key functions are ready to work with you to build a bigger and better rail supply community: – Public Affairs & Policy, Events & Information, Technical & Innovation, Exports, Operations (Membership, Events, Marketing and Business Administration). In this Yearbook, you’ll find a wide range of ways to get involved, including attending our more than 70 networking events a year, receiving regular market intelligence from our three mail outs each week, getting involved in our lobbying efforts through initiatives like the Rail Fellowship Programme, joining us on a trade mission, joining a regional event or attending an interest group session, to name but a few. We look forward to seeing you over 2020 and to working with you to deliver an even better rail industry!
diverse range of RIA members and give an overview of what RIA has in store for the coming year. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributing members for helping to make this publication possible. 2019 – a turbulent year 2019 has been a turbulent and uncertain year for the rail industry. There has been a significant restructure by Network Rail into regions and routes, for members to get to grips with. And at the time of writing we await the publication of two major reviews which could have significant implications for rail businesses – the Williams Rail Review into the structure of the railway industry, and the Oakervee Review into HS2. With political changes over the summer and, of course, Brexit, it
Kind regards,
There are a number of other areas we will be working on. To highlight a few: delivering on a ‘Rail Supply Group / DfT / BEIS’ Sector Deal; working to develop a more diverse workforce, via a ‘Routes into Rail’ campaign which seeks to get youngsters and their parents to see the
Darren Caplan Chief Executive, Railway Industry Association
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