Rail industry welcomes new Scottish Transport Minister

27 June 2018

The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has welcomed Michael Matheson MSP as the new Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure & Connectivity, following the reshuffle by Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland.

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association said:

“The Railway Industry Association (RIA) and its members welcome Michael Matheson to the role of Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure & Connectivity and we wish him well in his new role.
 
“According to independent research from Oxford Economics earlier this year, rail in Scotland generates some £2.37bn GVA in economic growth and £670mn in tax revenue a year as well as supporting more than 45,000 jobs, meaning rail is a vital sector to Scotland. What’s more, for every £1 spent on rail, £2.20 of income is generated in the wider economy. So we look forward to working with the new Minister to ensure rail delivers even more for Scotland, its economy and its connectivity in the years ahead.

“We would also like to thank Humza Yousaf for his work as Transport Minister and wish him the best of luck in his new brief."

Notes to Editors

  1. About RIA: The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the representative body for UK-based suppliers to the UK and world-wide railways. It has more than 200 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.