RIA Annual Conference 2022 Review

RIA Annual Conference 2022

Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel London

REVIEW

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

“The RIA Annual Conference has been very successful for CPC – a combination of the right sort of attendees and in the middle of a flagship 2-day conference: all being well organised. We shall certainly be thinking about 2023!”

“I thought it was an excellent conference – very impressive line-up of speakers with senior figures across the industry and a diverse group of organisations in the room. The content was rich and wide-ranging and has helped hugely with our advocacy plans. Also, thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and met some great people across the sector!”

Lucy Harper, Trainline (RIA Member & Conference attendee)

Andy Norris, CPC Project Services LLP (RIA Member & Conference dinner sponsor)

RIA Annual Conference 2022

Day 1

Summary

Darren Caplan, RIA’s Chief Executive, opened the conference and welcomed attendees to the two-day event.

Darren set out some of the opportunities and challenges facing the supply sector. He said that while passenger numbers are rising and approaching pre-Covid levels, the economic outlook and an unpredictable pipeline of work are holding supply businesses back.

He also touched on the results of Savanta Com Res’s survey of RIA members, which reinforce the damage a hiatus in rail

business could cause. You can read more about the research here.

Darren then took the audience through RIA’s six ‘asks’ of the Government, and set out how RIA plans to deliver for its members over the next year.

In his first public appearance since becoming the new Rail & HS2 Minister, Huw Merriman MP followed Darren Caplan in addressing the conference and taking questions.

Early on in his speech, the Minister acknowledged how important certainty is for the industry and said that it was his priority to unblock delays and get rail moving again. He said he was committed to a strong pipeline of future rail projects, and was fully aware that certainty around these projects drives investment decisions.

But Merriman also said that the Government is committed to fiscal responsibility, and that tough decisions were coming down the track. He said that rail must now earn the right to grow through demonstrating a high value return on investment, delivering value for money for the taxpayer, maintaining momentum on decarbonisation, and attracting new customers through a transformation of services.

On the Integrated Rail Plan for the North & Midlands, the Minister said that the Government was still committed to it, but is in the process of assessing future options for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

James Bain of the Rail Supply Group and Worldline gave an initial address before our Leadership Panel. In his speech, James drew on the history of rail and talked about how the industry needs to relentlessly focus on the customer in order to thrive into the future.

During the Leadership Panel, Paul Baines, Sales Director at Siemens Mobility Limited discussed the global market for rolling stock, which while attractive, is currently characterised by uncertainty.

Day 1

Summary

Steven Bell of Babcock Rail highlighted the importance of the industry adapting nimbly to changes and discussed the importance of certainty when it comes to rail projects. He said that the approach to the supply sector needs to be candid and transparent - especially in difficult times.

RIA SME Group Chair Lucy Prior discussed the need for good communication and visibility for SMEsespecially when it comes to information about individual parts of bigger projects.

Noel Travers, the MD of Xrail, talked about the importance of businesses having a long-term vision and commitment when it comes to exporting overseas. He said that, in the case of Xrail, the expansion into exports kept the business afloat during a difficult spell in the domestic market.

Rail Partners Chief Executive Andy Bagnall said that he was optimistic about the future, but emphasised the need for the industry to optimise its offer to customers to prevent a downward spiral of service cuts and lower passenger numbers. He said that the priority of government and industry should be to get GBR right, harness the power of the private sector and ensure we have the right environment for freight.

After lunch, Maria Machancoses, the Chief Executive of Midlands Connect, took to the stage to address the audience and take questions.

Maria talked about how major rail projects are more important than ever if we are to resolve regional inequalities and level up the Midlands.

And she raised the lack of certainty when it comes to investment plans and called for the region’s leaders to speak with one voice to assure the Government that investment in the railway will produce wider benefits.

Due to November’s Tube strikes, Interim TfL Commissioner Andy Lord was unfortunately unable to attend the Annual Conference, but did manage to take part another way!

BBC South Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton interviewed Andy earlier that week and this interview was shown to attendees on Thursday 10 November in the afternoon session

In the wide-ranging interview, Andy talked about the strikes, funding challenges, the Elizabeth Line, TfL’s business plan and his own future. You can watch the interview in full here.

Day 1

Summary

Next up, conference host Sameena Ali-Khan sat down for a fireside chat with HS1 Chief Executive Dyan Crowther OBE.

Dyan spoke about what she believes are the two key challenges facing the rail industry at present: demonstrating to the Government that the industry can control its costs and ensuring that people have confidence in the industry following strikes.

Dyan also set out her three key lessons for high speed providers: think about the customer every step of the way; take a whole system approach, and be bold with a long-term vision.

the railway.

He touched on the issues surrounding renewal expenditure, CP7, funding efficiencies and cost savings. He also spoke about the establishment of Great British Railways, and what can be done to progress reform without legislation.

To round off the first day of the RIA Annual Conference, we were treated to a wide-ranging interview with Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines OBE.

Haines struck a very optimistic tone about the future of rail, saying that the industry has proven itself during and since the pandemic and that there is unprecedented investment in the industry.

Among other issues, Andrew talked about how Network Rail needs to work with the supply chain to lower the cost of electrification to encourage further government investment. He also discussed how NR is dealing with inflation, the dangers of not publishing the RNEP and GBR - the benefits of which he said will slip the longer reform is left.

ORR Chief Executive John Larkinson gave the afternoon’s keynote speech, focusing on the difficult financial challenges facing

2 y

Summary

Director for Sustainability and Infrastructure at the Department for International Trade, Rodney Berkeley, delivered the opening speech on the second day of conference. He spoke about the key role that rail plays, and will continue to play, in the UK’s journey to Net Zero.

Berkeley also spoke about the immense export opportunities available to the supply sector.

Next, we heard from a distinguished panel of international rail leaders. Andy Billington, Innovation and Digital Architecture Team Leader at Rail Baltica, talked about how his is a new

Ahmed Al Musawa Al Hashemi, the CEO of Oman and Etihad Rail highlighted how stage one of Etihad Rail has been a great success, delivering outstanding freight services. They initiated the development of stage two in 2018 and have been quickly progressing construction. Their ambition is to shape the future of passenger mobility with a nationwide passenger service, connecting various UAE cities.

Murat Dedeoglu, the CEO of ERG International spoke about the international approach of ERG, and how the business delivers the full project cycle including development, planning,

railway with big ambitions. The aim is to integrate the Baltic States within the European rail network, with the network already having been extended into Finland. investment and design.

Davendra Dabasia, Manging Director for International Consultancy , Mace, spoke about the GO Expansion - a £64m project.The programme will transform the existing GO Rail network into a world class rail system, providing faster travel, higher frequencies, greater capacity and reduced congestion.

This session demonstrated how there are almost boundless opportunities for UK rail to export to the rest of the world. If you have any questions about exports, please email: exports@riagb.org.uk.

We were treated to an insightful speech and Q&A session from Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) Lead Director, Anit Chandarana. He set out his vision for GBR, saying that it would be a ‘guiding mind not a controlling mind’.

Contrary to some reports, Chandarana said that there was still an appetite for rail reform among Government ministers, but the new Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, wants to examine the specific details before going forward. Addressing the delay to GBR legislation, he said there was plenty GBRTT could be getting on with without legislation.

Summary

Chandarana also announced the results of recent GBRTT engagement with 65 key companies, big and small, which RIA helped facilitate. GBRTT wants to use this to build as clear a picture as possible about planned reform and how it can maximise the private-public relationship. The results show that businesses find having to deal with multiple organisations difficult, need greater clarity on strategic priorities, view decision making processes as too slow and feel that there is a lack of focus on whole-systems outcomes.

Debbie Bewley, Head of Sustainability and Environment at Egis kicked off our second panel session of the day: ‘Future of Rail: Sustainable, Diverse and Connected’. She spoke about the challenge of climate change and how the railway continues to play its role in our national green transition to Net Zero. Bewley also discussed the importance of increasing diversity in the industry and highlighted Women in Rail and RIA’s EDI Charter - which has just secured its 200th signatory.

Next, Mark Phillips, the Chief Executive Officer at RSSB gave us a sneak preview of the proposed Sustainable Rail Strategy, which will be launched in early 2023. This is the railway’s comprehensive environmental plan and covers what needs to be done, how it can be done and who will have to do it. It applies to passenger and freight operators, clients, and the supply chain.

Abu Siddeeq, a Board Trustee for Women in Rail discussed the need for diversity in all places – even in Women in Rail, which is why they have made an effort to ensure both men and women are involved at all stages. Siddeeq said that we need people to feel included and able to bring different perspectives to the table. He too pointed to the importance of the EDI Charter.

Finally, Shamit Gaiger, Managing Director, West Coast Partnership Development & Board Trustee, Campaign for Better Transport raised how the High Speed industry is operating at a time of great uncertainty, with macroeconomics changing sometime hourly. Gaiger also highlighted the challenge of the pace of change in terms of both demographics and technology, which is why it is important for the industry to be forward looking and on the front foot.

Kate Nicholls OBE, Chief Executive of UK Hospitality joined us for a Fireside Chat after lunch and began by giving an overview of the growth and contraction of the hospitality industry in the context of the pandemic. Prior to Covid, the sector was growing by 5% each year, but lost 66% of revenue over the course of the pandemic and now has to contend with inflation.

Nicholls talked about the symbiotic relationship between the rail and hospitality sectors and how, in the aftermath of Covid, the two industries have worked more closely together. She called on hospitality and rail to continue this integration - especially when it comes to customer needs and how the new patterns work.

Friday 11 November Summary 2 y

HS2 Chief Executive, Mark Thurston was next to take the conference stage, and was the final speaker. He talked about the pure scale of the largest infrastructure project in Europe (29,000 people are now working on HS2, including 950 apprentices) and the immediate future timeline of the project, with Phase 2a set to start construction in 2025.

He acknowledged that HS2 is under pressure from the Government to deliver the project in a prudent way, and said that he is interested to hear what next week’s Autumn Statement will mean for HS2, although he noted that both the

new both Transport Secretary Mark Harper and Rail & HS2 Minister Huw Merriman are very supportive of the scheme.

Thurston also talked about how HS2 wants to become more accessible to SME suppliers, for example through running round table events in the New Year for local companies in the North. VIEW PHOTOS

To conclude the second day of the Annual Conference, RIA Chair David Tonkin addressed attendees and offered his reflections on the conference, on the theme of how many new revelations had come to light in the course of discussions. We are already looking forward to Annual Conference & Dinner 2023!

RIA Annual Conference Networking Reception and Dinner

Sponsored by:

RIA Annual Conference attendees enjoyed of a unique networking drinks and dinner on Thursday 10 November. Evening programme included guest speaker Sir Peter Hendy CBE, close up magician Jimmy Sheridan, vocalist Jennifer Morrow and live piano duet with song requests by Piano Works.

With thanks to our exhibitors

VIEW PHOTOS

The RIA Annual Conference 2022 brought together 19 exhibitors ranging from supply chain companies to clients and partners. It’s been the biggest exhibition hall so far, at the Annual Conference!

Exhibitors

RIA

Annual Conference 2022 10 - 11 November, London