RIA welcomes Andrew Jones as new Rail Minister

Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has been confirmed as the new Rail Minister.  

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA) said: “I would like to congratulate Andrew Jones on his new appointment as Rail Minister and welcome him to the industry on behalf of the rail supply community. As someone who has previous experience in the Department for Transport, we hope he will be a keen ally of rail and look forward to working with him at this important time for our rail network.
 
“It is an exciting time to join rail, a sector that contributes more than £36 billion to the economy, employs some 600,000 people and generates around £11 billion in tax revenue a year. With a new Control Period beginning in April and a number of major projects on the horizon, including Crossrail, HS2, the Trans Pennine Route Upgrade, Northern Powerhouse Rail, Crossrail 2 and East West Rail, there are a number of opportunities for rail businesses on the horizon. However, the industry still faces the challenges of ‘boom and bust’ rail funding, keeping electrification an option as we seek to decarbonise the network and preparing for a changing international regulatory and trade landscape as the UK prepares to leave EU.
 
“We look forward to working with Andrew Jones and DfT on these issues in the coming months and years ahead, in order that we can continue to deliver the best for passengers and freight users, and the wider UK economy.”

Notes to Editors

1. More information on Andrew Jones 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. We promote and represent our members’ interests to policy makers, clients and other stakeholders in the UK and overseas. RIA has 230+ 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.