Rail industry welcomes Louise Haigh MP as new Shadow Transport Secretary

The Railway Industry Association, the voice of the UK rail supply community, has welcomed Louise Haigh MP as the new Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said: “I would like to welcome Louise Haigh to the role of Shadow Transport Secretary, on behalf of the Railway Industry Association, our members and the wider rail supply community.

“Ms Haigh joins at a pivotal time for the UK rail industry, as we seek to encourage passengers back onto the network and spur an economic recovery following the pandemic, as the industry begins a major restructure into a new Great British Railways model, and as we continue to deliver major rail improvements across the country, including projects like HS2, the Transpennine Route Upgrade, Midlands Rail Hub and many more.

“The rail supply industry will continue to need certainty of rail investment, including in both infrastructure and rolling stock, to ensure we can continue to deliver successfully. This means understanding what upgrades are contained in the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline, having a rolling programme of electrification and fleet orders of hydrogen and battery trains in order to meet Net Zero targets and getting digital signalling rolled out before current equipment becomes life expired. We look forward to working with Ms Haigh on all these opportunities and challenges, to ultimately support a bigger and better rail sector.

“I’d also like to thank outgoing Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon who over the past year has shown himself to be a strong advocate of rail and its value to the economy. We wish him the very best in his new role as Shadow Environment Secretary and look forward to working with him as MP for Oldham West and Royton in the years to come.”

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