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Welcoming the Government’s announcement on High Speed Rail, Jeremy Candfield, Director General of the Railway Industry Association, said:

“The Government’s decision to consult on detailed proposals for HS2 is very welcome. So too, however, is the commitment to work with industry to ensure that firms in the UK have the skills and capability to compete successfully for contracts and to offer best value for money.

“This is an important development. For too long the industry has been subjected to spasmodic and uncertain demand levels, which have driven up costs unnecessarily and seriously damaged business confidence and investment. The Railway Industry Association has long called for a more planned and strategic approach, capable of delivering better VFM and a stronger and more competitive UK industry. We will now aim to work closely with Government to secure these objectives.

“Specifically we:

• Agree that work on the proposed industrial strategy should start immediately;
• Welcome the commitment to joint working on planning, best value solutions and an approach to procurement that works for industry and Government alike;
• Are ready to help facilitate the proposed high-level supply chain forum;
• Are already contributing industry input to the Value for Money in Rail Study and to the programme of work on Innovation.

“RIA is the lead promoter for the proposed National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering, launched with the support of the whole railway industry and a key practical measure to address the major skills issues that we face.

“We also work closely with UK Trade & Investment as their delivery partner for an intensive programme of exports support activity; greater certainty of UK investment will provide a valuable export platform for UK engineering and manufacturing expertise.

“These initiatives are potentially of great importance to industry, Government and the effective delivery of HS2. They need to be taken forward with all speed.”

Source: http://www.riagb.org.uk/docs/RIA%20welcomes%20industry%20involvement.pdf