RIA welcomes back Paul Maynard as Rail Minister

Paul Maynard MP has been appointed Rail Minister following a Government reshuffle.
 
Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “The Railway Industry Association congratulates Paul Maynard on his appointment as Rail Minister. We worked closely with him from July 2016 to January 2018, when he previously held the role, and found him a passionate, engaging Minister who took great interest in rail supply and the work of the sector. We look forward to working with him again.
 
“Much has changed in rail since the Minister was last in the role. And with a planned rail industry restructure under the Williams Review, a devolution reorganisation at Network Rail, and a new five year funding cycle beginning – all of which pose both opportunities and challenges to the companies that build, maintain and enhance our rail network – it is essential that we continue to build a healthy, sustainable, rail industry whilst all this is going on. To achieve this, we hope the Minister will help reduce 'boom and bust' in rail investment, deliver clear visibility of forthcoming enhancement projects, assist the sector decarbonise by supporting electrification on intensively-used rail, and work with us on digitalising the network.
 
“I would also like to say thank you to Andrew Jones, the outgoing Rail Minister, who has been a strong supporter of the industry during his time in office. We wish him all the best for the future.”

Notes to Editors

1. 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. www.riagb.org.uk