UK: The Railway Industry Association and the Department for International Trade are partnering to launch their first virtual trade mission, which will see delegates participating in a programme of activities with key players from across the Canadian rail sector from February 1 to 12 2021.
The first week will involve virtual roundtables and presentations, followed by one-to-one meetings during week two when delegates will be able to speak directly to Canadian stakeholders about collaboration opportunities.
‘This mission follows our series of Rail Outreach Webinars, each exploring a different international market, with the July edition on Canada attracting a very large UK audience’, said Neil Walker, Exports Director at the Railway Industry Association.
‘Canada is of keen interest to UK rail suppliers and was listed in the top 10 priority markets for UK rail businesses in the recent Rail Sector Deal Exports Survey. The Canadian government has made infrastructure investment a high priority, with £48bn in planned and announced rail projects over the coming decades.
‘So, this trade mission is a great opportunity to showcase UK expertise in rail and shows how the industry is working collaboratively with government to overcome the travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, ensuring we continue to promote UK plc in these difficult times.’
Projects currently under development in Canada include metro lines in Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, light rail projects in the Toronto area, Calgary and Edmonton, a move to smarter ticketing and national passenger operator VIA’s Rail’s renewal of its inter-city train fleet.
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