RIA Northern Ireland Manifesto

RAIL MANIFESTO NORTHERN IRELAND Key Stats In Northern Ireland, rail contributes: •

£900mn GVA to the economy;

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17,500 jobs;

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£300mn in tax revenue.

RIA’s Key UK Asks 1. Continue to invest in major railway schemes post-Coronavirus and support rail’s role in supporting the economic recovery; 2. Increase forward visibility of rail schemes; 3. Accelerate a rolling programme of electrification and orders for low carbon rolling stock, in order to decarbonise the network; 4. Accelerate digital signalling work, to ensure the UK can meet the backlog in signalling work; and 5. Include rail in future trade deals and support the sector as a significant exporter in its own right, one that provides significant benefits to companies in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The rail network in Northern Ireland (NI) provides crucial connectivity to its people and communities and is vital to its economic success.

As NI begins to see a return in passenger numbers and the reintroduction of freight post-Coronavirus, it is essential to highlight to policy makers and influencers the role the railways can play, not only in supporting connectivity and economic growth, but also in helping deliver Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Ahead of the 2022 NI Assembly Elections, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) has set out four recommendations for NI’s future politicians, to help the industry drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth for communities across the country, and to ensure continued investment. These align closely with RIA’s key ‘asks’ for the wider UK railway industry (see panel).

Recommendation 1 Provide a clear medium to long term rail investment strategy, and recognise the importance of certainty to support cost effective rail supply chain delivery.

It is important that rail suppliers have a clear and certain pipeline of upcoming work, particularly on new work post 2028, and an understanding of who is responsible for the different elements of the railway in NI and across the border. Ensuring suppliers have visibility of upcoming work will allow the supply chain to deliver better value for the taxpayer on projects, as they will be able to plan for a skilled workforce and to invest in the plant, machinery and equipment needed to deliver rail work cost-effectively.

Recommendation 2 Work with the rail supply chain to develop a deliverable, long term rail decarbonisation strategy. This will enable it to meet passenger and freight needs and Net Zero carbon goals, including on electrification, hydrogen and battery trains.

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Recommendation 4

If Net Zero is going to be delivered, then there is a need for far greater clarity and certainty on the investment roadmap for rail decarbonisation. There are a number of existing targets set out in Translink’s Climate Positive Strategy, such as achieving a 50% reduction in train, bus and building emissions by 2030 and Net Zero emissions by 2040. To achieve this, and go beyond it by removing carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide from the environment by 2050, clear delivery plans need to be in place.

Support the recommendations set out in the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.

RIA welcomes the clarity and objectives provided in the recent All-Island Strategic Rail Review consultation paper, regarding ongoing projects for rail. We believe these need to be tied to specific timelines to make them actionable and produce detailed plans on how to achieve the Review’s goals. They include:

As the entirety of the rolling stock fleet in the island of Ireland are diesel multiple units (DMUs), decarbonisation really does need to be prioritised for the future of rail. There are clear measures which can help reduce the emissions of existing diesel rolling stock.

The UK now has a great deal of experience in cost-effective electrification on intensively-used lines. Additionally, battery and hydrogen trains will play a key role on less intensively used lines, to help reach a Net Zero railway.

Recommendation 3 Place innovation at the industry’s core and begin a programme of modern signalling renewals.

Innovation is essential to any industry and particularly one offering a public service like the railway.

There are a large number of rail innovation projects in the pipeline. There is therefore the opportunity for NI to benefit by creating an environment which incentivises and supports the deployment of successful innovation through intelligent procurement.

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Support the NI Executive plan to upgrade and fund the railway on the Northern Ireland corridor, including better connectivity to the three airports and seaports, and to and from Belfast and Derry/Londonderry;

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Examine the potential to reopen closed lines; and

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Provide funding and major project expertise to the NI Executive, to support its work with the Republic of Ireland relating to the All Island Strategic Rail Review and its implementation, including connectivity between Belfast and Dublin, between Derry/Londonderry and North West Ireland, and to and from the three airports and the seaports.

About RIA The Railway Industry Association is the voice of the UK rail supply community. We help to grow a sustainable, high-performing, railway supply industry, and to export UK rail expertise and products.

RIA has 300+ companies in membership in a sector that contributes £43 billion in economic growth and £14 billion in tax revenue each year, as well as employing 710,000 people. It is also a vital industry for the UK’s economic recovery, supporting green investment and jobs in towns and communities across the UK.

RIA is aware of valuable innovations which have been proven but not deployed or only partially deployed. There is therefore the opportunity for NI to benefit by creating an environment which incentivises and supports the deployment of successful innovation through intelligent procurement.

On signalling, much of NI’s network is relay based and requires a shift to modern signalling.

A programme of signalling renewals should start, upgrading the rail network and improving the performance and resilience of the railway.

RIA works to promote the importance of the rail system to UK plc, to help export UK expertise around the globe and to share best practice and innovation across the industry.

Find out more: www.riagb.org.ukdustry.

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