Rail industry responds to General Election announcement
The House of Commons have voted for a General Election to be held on 12 December 2019.
Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: "The Railway Industry Association and its members have worked hard over the last two years under the present Parliament to shine a light on rail policy, and to campaign where we think improvement is needed.
"Whether smoothing out ‘boom and bust’ in infrastructure and rolling stock investment, securing a visible pipeline of enhancement projects, working to decarbonise and electrify the railways, promote innovation such as hydrogen and battery trains, campaigning in support of major projects like Crossrails 1 and 2, HS2, Transpennnine Route Upgrade, Northern Powerhouse Rail, and East West Rail, or helping members to prepare for and navigate the challenges and opportunities of Brexit, the RIA team and members have worked incredibly hard to get political support for what is after all, major UK transport infrastructure.
"As we head into a General Election, we hope there will not be significant hiatus in rail work or the development of supportive policy for any longer than necessary, and that the Williams and Oakervee Reviews will report soon after the election, so we can all get on with building world-class, customer focused, rail both at home and abroad. As soon as we know the composition of the new Government and Parliament in December, RIA will be engaging with the key players to ensure that this important work continues as soon as possible into the New Year."
