UK: The House of Commons Transport Committee is to launch an inquiry into how the government could ensure a stable pipeline of projects and procurements to end ‘boom and bust’ in the supply industry and give passengers, staff, suppliers and investors more certainty about development priorities.
A survey undertaken for the Railway Industry Association in September found that 83% of rail suppliers thought it likely that there would be a hiatus in work over the next year, with many considering focusing on other national markets or making redundancies.
The rail sector is also concerned that its is facing a skills crisis, with an ageing workforce with high rates of attrition.
The Committee will investigate how detailed, multi-year plans for rolling stock and infrastructure investments should be developed, why such plans have not been set out in the past, and whether a steady pipeline of projects could improve investor confidence and reduce unit costs.
‘For years, the stop-start inconsistency of investment in new trains and network enhancements has kept passengers, freight operators and the rail supply industry guessing’, said Chair Ruth Cadbury on December 17.
‘To protect jobs and ensure Britain continues to have a successful rail supply industry and services that continue to improve, this Committee will listen to businesses from the breadth of the supply chains, and others in the industry, to understand why it has been so hard to get a stable forward-plan and to recommend realistic solutions to the government.’
Written evidence can be submitted until February 7 2025.
The inquiry was welcomed by RIA CEO Darren Caplan, who said boom and bust cycles have held back the supply sector. ’RIA and our members now urge the Committee’s inquiry to not only call for a stable and certain pipeline of projects in the short-term, but to also seek clarity on longer-term enhancements and other procurements, so that together we can deliver the world-class UK railway we are all seeking to build in the months and years to come’, he added.
