Building the North's New Railways
Yesterday (21 February), rail businesses from across the North of England came together to launch a new report, showing how they will support Transport for the North’s investment plans, and planned investment from HS2 Ltd and Network Rail.
Building the North’s New Railways, launched by the Northern Rail Industry Leaders – a group of around 40 northern rail businesses supported by RIA – shows how:
- Rail contributes around ￡7.3 billion in economic growth to Northern Powerhouse area, supporting some 132,700 jobs;
- The North already has significant capabilities in delivering rail projects, with around 300 companies in the region, employing 58,000 people;
- By maximising investment from TfN, HS2 Ltd and Network Rail, rail businesses could deliver an estimated further ￡600 million in economic growth and 10,000 jobs (in addition to those provide by HS2 and existing programmes).
The Report sets out 14 recommendations on how rail businesses can support planned rail investment, including developing digital and decarbonisation route maps for the North, and pooling unspent apprenticeship levy funding to enable more SMEs to employ apprentices.
The Report is well worth a read - find it here.
Now, NRIL will be working with TfN and the wider industry to implement the recommendations - if you want to get involved go to the NRIL website (northernrailleaders.com).