Rail industry welcomes Ministerial Statement on HS2 Phase 2B

Today, the HS2 Minister Nusrat Ghani MP has made a Written Ministerial Statement on the government’s consultation on HS2 Phase 2B, including the first proposals to allow Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) trains to use the HS2 route and vice versa.

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said: "The rail industry welcomes the Ministerial Statement today on HS2 Phase 2b, which covers the final section of the project, from Crewe to Manchester and Birmingham to Leeds.

"It is particularly positive to see HS2 plans are being delivered in tandem with Northern Powerhouse Rail. Both these schemes are vital to the UK, unlocking much needed capacity across the country as well as spurring economic growth, investment and jobs."

Notes to Editors

1. The Written Ministerial Statement can be found here
2. About RIA: The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the voice of the UK rail supply community. We help to grow a sustainable, high-performing, railway supply industry, and to export UK rail expertise and products. We promote and represent our members’ interests to policy makers, clients and other stakeholders in the UK and overseas. RIA has 280+ companies in membership in a sector that contributes £36 billion in economic growth and £11 billion in tax revenue each year, as well as employing 600,000 people—more than the workforce of Birmingham. It is also a growing industry with the number of rail journeys expected to double over the next 25 years and freight set to grow significantly too. RIA’s membership is active across the whole of railway supply, covering a diverse range of products and services and including both multi-national companies and SMEs (60% by number). RIA works to promote the importance of the rail system to UK plc, to help export UK expertise around the globe and to share best practice and innovation across the industry