After almost two years, 160 days of sittings, and having heard almost 1,600 petitions the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill Select Committee has published its second and final report. The Committee provided individuals and bodies directly and specially affected by the Bill with the opportunity to object to specific Read more…
The final focus group in our programme of engagement with the supply chain was held at the National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR), a multi-million pound state-of-the-art facility based in Northampton which acts as an international Centre of Excellence for skills development and collaborative working in the rail industry. NTAR was developed Read more…
The Rail Supply Group (RSG) has launched its strategy to build growth in the UK rail industry and support exports. Fast Track to the Future sets out the sector’s long-term commitment to increase manufacturing and innovation capability and enhance productivity, skills and employment to support UK economic growth.
High Speed Rail Industry Leaders welcomed the strategy: “The Rail Supply Group and TISS reports in recent days mark a significant step forward in the development of a rail industry skills strategy.
“There is nothing of greater importance to the sector than developing our people. The RSG strategy today identifies High Speed Rail as a cross cutting theme. There is no greater opportunity to demonstrate that rail can be a high-technology and advanced industry and we should use the development of HS2 as a catalyst to invest in our skills base and transform perception of the railways, attracting once again the brightest and the best to the careers it can offer.” (more…)
HSRIL held a focus group with business representatives and local politicians in Ashford to discuss the benefits that high speed rail can bring to the local supply chain, and the local economy. Hosted by Hitachi Rail Europe at their flagship Ashford Train Maintenance Centre, the session used HS1 as a case study to focus Read more…
Henrik Anderberg from HSRIL member company Alstom spoke at a recent Greengauge 21 HSR conference, making the case that when inter-city train journey times can be brought under this totemic benchmark, rail gains serious market share versus air. Henrik used data from European and Japanese high-speed rail links to make his point that there is a “cliff edge” at three hours, stating (more…)
The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport addressed the High Speed Rail Industry Leaders fringe event in Manchester – stating that he strongly supports greater investment in infrastructure across the country because it is vital for wider economic growth. The Secretary of State also reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the Read more…
High Speed Rail Industry Leaders has produced a report outlining how industry will build Britain’s new high speed railway. Poised to Deliver uses examples of lessons learnt and experience built up through projects carried out overseas to show the readiness of industry to deliver the HS2 project on time and within Read more…
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has announced a major milestone for HS2, starting the bidding process for phase one of the project with at least seven new contracts being opened up to companies, with a total combined value of £11.8bn. The contracts cover a range of areas including some 230km of Read more…
HSR Industry Leaders organised a focus group meeting with the business community in Derby recently to discuss the potential benefits that high speed rail could bring to the local economy, and to their businesses specifically. The focus group highlighted a genuine interest in HS2 from the local supply chain. It Read more…
The Government has deposited a proposed set of changes to the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill in Parliament, which reflect the Government’s discussions with landowners, occupiers and key stakeholders as well as refinements to the design and updated environmental information. The changes relate to areas along the Read more…