Rail organisations unite to call for supplier capacity to be considered in North and Midlands Rail Plans 

1 June 2020

Groups representing rail suppliers across the UK have united to respond to the National Infrastructure Commission’s inquiry on developing an integrated rail plan for the Midlands and North of England.

In their joint response, Northern Rail Industry Leaders (NRIL), Rail Forum Midlands (RFM) and the Railway Industry Association (RIA), have called for:

  • HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Rail Hub all to be delivered in full and integrated with one another and the current network;
  • The capabilities of the rail industry to be considered in the sequencing and pacing of the projects, to ensure the sector can build up capacity to deliver this ambitious programme of projects;
  • That Government, Sub National Transport Bodies and client bodies work with the rail industry to ensure efficient delivery;
  • That decarbonisation, skills, digitalisation and innovation are considered throughout the lifetime of these rail projects; and
  • That the industry learn from earlier projects, look for opportunities to reduce overhead costs and bring forward early development work at pace.


Mike Hulme and Justin Moss, Co-Chairs of Northern Rail Industry Leaders (NRIL), said: “Over the coming decade, rail investment will be vital to businesses across the UK, including in the North of England. This ambitious programme, however, will also require significant capacity in the rail supply sector – Northern Powerhouse Rail alone will require over £5 billion of work and some 90,000 skilled workers at its peak year. It is therefore essential that delivery bodies and clients work together to space out work, and ensure the industry is ready over the coming years to deliver.”
 
Elaine Clark, Chief Executive of Rail Forum Midlands, said: “HS2 together with Midlands Rail Hub will transform the region, generating jobs, economic growth and spurring investment. It is important that these investments help leave a legacy in the rail supply chain, which in turn could help the UK develop even more of a competitive advantage as it looks to develop new markets overseas.”
 
Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Rail Hub, alongside Network Rail’s investment programme and other schemes like the Trans Pennine Route Upgrade and East West Rail, have the opportunity to make the coming years a ‘golden age’ for rail. And building major rail schemes for the Midlands and the North benefit rail suppliers throughout the whole country, boosting jobs, GVA and innovation  for UK plc. So we fully support this call for evidence and look forward to seeing its outcomes in the months ahead.”

Read the submission

 
Notes to Editors

 

  1. About Northern Rail Industry Leaders (NRIL): NRIL brings together businesses to help develop and support the rail industry in the region, and which includes 150 rail organisations in the North of England. In 2019 it published a ‘Building the North’s New Railways’ Report, which looks at how rail suppliers, Transport for the North (TfN), Government and key rail organisations can work together to deliver the best for the region through rail investment. www.northernrailleaders.com
  2. About Rail Forum Midlands (RFM): RFM which is the only regionally focussed rail trade organisation in the UK, and which supports the nationally and internationally important rail supply chain cluster across the Midlands. RFM has over 200 members providing products and services across all aspects of the industry, and actively supports the national rail agenda and strategy, encouraging collaboration, promoting members’ capabilities, leading a number of regional skills initiatives and supporting innovation and export priorities. RFM is owned and governed by its members with a Board drawn from member companies. www.midlandsrail.co.uk
  3. About the Railway Industry Association (RIA): 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 300+ 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. www.riagb.org.uk