RIA responds to ORR’s report on Network Rail efficiency

19 December 2019

 The Railway Industry Association (RIA), the voice of the UK rail supply community, has responded to a new report out today from ORR looking at Network Rail’s efficiency.

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said: “We note the rail regulators report today on Network Rail’s efficiency plans and we welcome Network Rail’s intensified efforts to smooth renewals workloads over Control Period 6 through engagement with the supply chain.

“In the Autumn, RIA conducted a survey of 28 companies involved in the renewals market and nearly 90% responded that renewals volumes are not coming forward at the rate expected. So, we will work closely with Network Rail to accelerate the work in Quarter 1 2020 in order that volumes in Year One of CP6 get delivered as planned by March, and to ensure the programme for 2020/21 and beyond is well-developed. This will support the longer-term aim to smooth out ‘boom and bust’ in rail funding, which bedevils the supply sector’s ability to deliver as optimally and deficiently as it could. Resolving these funding and delivery issues ultimately benefits both the rail customer and the taxpayer.”

Notes to Editors

  1. ORR’s Report 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.