Rail industry welcomes Notice to Proceed for HS2

The Railway Industry Association (RIA), the voice of the UK rail supply community, has welcomed the 'Notice to Proceed' for HS2 to begin the main construction works.

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “In these difficult times, it is great news and a real boon to the UK railway industry that this ‘Notice to Proceed’ on HS2 has been announced. HS2 is a truly transformational project for UK plc, its national economy and connectivity, and gives a boost to the whole UK rail network, adding capacity to a number of key routes, benefiting towns, communities and cities across the whole country. It will also create thousands of jobs and spur investment, at a time when the UK will be looking at how it can recover economically from this Coronavirus outbreak – so the Railway Industry Association and rail suppliers around the UK greatly appreciate this exciting news. 

“We now look forward to working with the Government, HS2 Ltd, and all those involved in this project as the main works begin.”

1.  The Notice to Proceed announcement 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 300+ 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.