RIA responds to Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee report on HS2

7 February 2024

  

The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee published a report today on the value for money of HS2, following last October’s cancellation of the Northern Leg.

In response, Railway Industry Association Chief Executive Darren Caplan said: “Today’s report by the Public Accounts Committee raises many questions which remain unanswered, not least of which is how HS2 going to operate as railway. Ministers urgently need to make decisions on this point and others to ensure both sunk and future investment deliver value for money for taxpayers and the railway.

“It remains RIA’s view that the full benefits of HS2 can only be realised by building the full HS2. However, going forward RIA and our members are committed to working with the Government on the trajectory of future rail investment and how this meets long-term demand for rail capacity across the UK network. It is imperative that options are kept open as the scope of work on this is developed.”

 
Notes to Editors
  1. The Public Accounts Committee report 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. RIA has 350+ companies in membership in a sector that contributes £43 billion in economic growth and £14 billion in tax revenue each year, as well as employing 710,000 people. It is also a vital industry for the UK’s economic recovery, supporting green investment and jobs in towns and communities across the UK; for every £1 spent in rail, £2.50 is generated in the wider economy. 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). www.riagb.org.uk 
  3. For further information contact James McGowan, RIA Public Affairs and PR Director on [email protected] or 07932749095