SME Exports Workshop 2025 Insights Report September 2025 Forward On 9 April, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) in partnership with the RIA Exports Leadership Group (RELG), the RIA SME Leadership Group and attending officials from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), along with UK Export Finance (UKEF) and Innovate UK, held an SME Exports Workshop with over 90+ UK rail-related company representatives registering. The aim of the workshop was to encourage UK rail SMEs to learn more about how to start exporting or to grow existing exports. This is especially important in today’s challenging market domestically or for the future, in order to help SMEs spread risk, become more resilient, and ensure they are not just reliant on individual markets or single clients. Workshop delegates heard from and networked with fellow exporters, Tier 1 companies and Government representatives, who then took part in an interactive whiteboard session and answered four questions related to exports, the objective being to enable the organisers to acquire a greater understanding of both potential issues and what more could be done to assist UK SME exporters. The findings of this interactive session, the company insights and thoughts have helped form a narrative to shape and support UK companies going forward. SMEs that engage in exporting are more likely to experience growth, providing clear benefits not only to the UK economy but also to the broader UK supply chain. Highlighting the importance of exports, Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds stated, “we know that when more small firms export, it leads to more jobs and higher wages and grows the economy.”1 The 10th edition of the UNIFE World Rail Market Study (2024)2 expects the global rail supply market to follow a positive growth trajectory through to the end of the decade. The market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 3% in real terms, driven by continued investment in rail infrastructure, rolling stock, and services. By the period 2027–2029, the average annual market volume is forecast to reach €240.8 billion, excluding the effects of inflation. This outlook is based on an analysis of more than 10,000 planned rail project orders, including greenfield developments, asset replacements, and modernisation initiatives across major global regions. The latest full figures published by DBT for 2023 show that UK rail exports amounted to over £1bn, comprising £454m of railway equipment exports and £613m of railway services exports3 (with figures due to be updated in October 2025). Rail-related exporters and their supply chains contribute 12,500 jobs to the UK economy each year.
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Department for Business and Trade, 2024. Small businesses set to see a boost in exports and growth with new expert panel. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/small-businesses-setto-see-a-boost-in-exports-and-growth-with-new-expert-panel 2 UNIFE – The European Rail Supply Industry Association ,2024. World Rail Market Study: Forecast 2023–2029. Presented at InnoTrans 2024. https://www.railtarget.eu/business/10th-world-railmarket-study-reports-27-annual-growth-and-positive-outlook-for-the-decade-9296.html 3 Office for National Statistics, 2024. Source: ONS trade in services and ONS country by commodity
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