National Infrastructure Commission’s Call for Evidence on rail in the Midlands and the North Northern Rail Industry Leaders, Rail Forum Midlands & Railway Industry Association Joint Response May 2020 1. BACKGROUND This response has been compiled jointly by: • Northern Rail Industry Leaders (NRIL), which brings together businesses to help develop and support the rail industry in the region, and which includes 150 rail organisations in the North of England. In 2019 it published a ‘Building the North’s New Railways’ Report, which looks at how rail suppliers, Transport for the North (TfN), Government and key rail organisations can work together to deliver the best for the region through rail investment. • Rail Forum Midlands (RFM), which is the only regionally focussed rail trade organisation in the UK, and which supports the nationally and internationally important rail supply chain cluster across the Midlands. RFM has over 200 members providing products and services across all aspects of the industry, and actively supports the national rail agenda and strategy, encouraging collaboration, promoting members’ capabilities, leading a number of regional skills initiatives and supporting innovation and export priorities. RFM is owned and governed by its members with a Board drawn from member companies. • The Railway Industry Association (RIA), which is the national trade association for UK-based suppliers to the UK and world-wide railways. It has over 300 companies in membership covering all aspects of rolling stock and infrastructure supply and covering a diverse range of products and services. As well as the vast majority of the larger, multi-national companies, 60% of RIA’s membership base is comprised of SMEs. Rail is an important industry for both the Midlands and North. Research by independent organisation Oxford Economics in 2018 report1 shows that the rail industry generates £4.49 billion GVA in the Midlands and £7.3 billion in the Northern Powerhouse region each year. The sector also supports 84,900 jobs in the Midlands and 132,700 in the Northern Powerhouse region. And for every £1 spent on rail, £2.20 of income is generated in the wider economy, meaning rail is not just an important sector, but it is also crucial for UK plc, its economy and connectivity. 2. CONSULTATION RESPONSE Below we set out our response to the questions posed by the National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC) call for evidence. We have not sought to answer every question, but instead to focus on those of pertinence for the rail supply community. What potential investments should be in scope of the Commission’s assessment of the rail needs of the Midlands and the North? − In answering this question, please consider the terms of reference for the Integrated Rail Plan, particularly that HS2 Phases 1 and 2a are out of scope. NRIL, RFM and RIA support the work of Midlands Connect and specifically the projects identified in their Midlands Engine Rail Report (which includes a number of priority schemes alongside Midlands Rail Hub) together with their very recently launched Access to Toton Report. Similarly, we support Transport for the North’s Strategic Transport Plan and the Strategic Outline Business Case for Northern Powerhouse Rail. All these schemes are vital for the connectivity of the two regions and should be included in the NIC integrated plan, alongside HS2 as the new spine of the UK rail network.
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The Contribution of UK Rail, Oxford Economics, 2018
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