Ria: Rail Reform Is An Opportunity To Better Integrate Track And Train Operations

The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has published its response to the Government consultation on rail reform, ‘A railway fit for Britain’s future’.

RIA welcomed the consultation as an important step forward, and an opportunity to reset the way the railway works, in particular to better integrate track and train operations.

As the legislation to enable Great British Railways is developed, RIA is calling on Government to avoid making any changes that could make railway funding less certain or stable than today. Concerningly, the Government consultation acknowledges that there could be “mid-period reductions to funds available”.

RIA Policy Director, Robert Cook, said “A stable funding framework and long-term plan is fundamental to an efficient railway, because infrastructure and rolling stock investment need to be planned across decades, not one or two years. It is essential to protect the current 5-year funding period and to bring greater stability between periods. This would in turn boost business investment confidence, and support wider UK Government objectives to boost growth and create skilled jobs right across the country.”

Robert continued: “The RIA response highlights that in manufacturing, and other skilled roles, maintaining a permanent workforce and stable volumes of production is key to efficiency. It also emphasises the importance of having a long-term strategy with targets for passenger and freight growth and that GBR must act as an efficient and commercially focussed organisation that works in partnership with the supply chain, which ultimately delivers the majority of work in the railway.”