Ensuring UK rail services continue to deliver for the public and for business

The CBI’s Director of Infrastructure and Energy, Tom Thackray, joined the Rail Delivery Group’s (RDG) Annual Conference to discuss how reform in the rail sector can deliver huge benefits for commuters. Sharing a panel with Arup’s Global Transport Lead, Isabel Dedring, the CEO of the Rail Industry Association, Darren Caplan, and the RDG’s Director of Regions and Nations, Robert Nisbet, Tom spoke of the need for greater clarity from government about the investments the sector requires to deliver world-class commuter services.

He argued that the rail sector has had a significant impact on the economy since privatization but that this is rarely acknowledged. Research from Oxford Economics in 2018, for example, found that rail-related goods and services have grown to contribute over £36 billion GVA to the UK economy annually. Since the full privatization of UK railway franchises in 1997/8, private investment has meant that there are now 2,500 more carriages on the rail