Press Release

Railway Industry Association scoops top lobbying award

16 October 2022

The Railway Industry Association (RIA), the voice of the UK rail supply community, has been awarded the prestigious Best Lobbying Campaign award at the Association Excellence Awards - which recognises the achievements of trade bodies - held on Friday 14 October at the KIA Oval in London.

The winning campaign, entitled Rail Decarb, highlights the potential of rail to decarbonise even further in future and support the target of removing all diesel-only trains from the network by 2040 and reaching Net Zero by 2050. 

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “We in the Railway Industry Association are delighted to win this prestigious award! It’s a great vote of confidence by our peers in other industrial sectors to recognise not just the hard work of the superb RIA team, but also UK rail more widely and the efforts of our fantastic members to decarbonise the railways.

“The Rail Decarb campaign has focused relentlessly on seeking a commitment from Government for a rolling programme of electrification, and support for hydrogen and battery powered trains on less intensively-used lines, in order to help deliver on the Net Zero agenda. These asks were subsequently included in the DfT’s transport decarbonisation plan.

“Through this campaign and the recognition it has now gained, we hope to continue to lobby effectively in future for effective progress on rail decarbonisation and to raise awareness of the almost limitless potential of the railway industry to help tackle this pressing issue”. 

Notes to Editors
  1. 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 300+ 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