The
Railway
Industry
Association

conference
opens
in
London
today,
and
a
new
poll
has
been
published
which
suggests
that
most
railway
suppliers
are
pessimistic
about
their
prospects
for
2024.

RIA
says
only
24
per
cent
of
the
companies
which
responded
believe
the
rail
supply
industry
will
grow
in
the
coming
year,
with
54
per
cent
saying
it
will
contract.
RIA
points
out
that
this
is
the
highest
negative
rating
over
the
past
five
years.

Even
so,
48
per
cent
think
their
own
businesses
will
grow,
but
28
per
cent
are
expecting
their
turnover
to
contract.

More
than
four
out
of
five
(83
per
cent),
think
there
will
be
a
pause
in
rail
supply
contracts
during
the
coming
year,
because
of
uncertainty
over
major
projects
or
the
continuing
delay
in
setting
up
Great
British
Railways
and
the
reforms
that
are
due
to
follow.

RIA
said:
‘These
findings
represent
a
significant
increase
in
negative
sentiment
among
businesses
across
the
sector
over
the
last
12
months.’

Recruitment
will
be
reduced
or
frozen
at
44
per
cent
of
companies,
compared
with
26
per
cent
in
2022,
while
42
per
cent
will
concentrate
on
the
export
market
and
35
per
cent
will
pause
or
ease
back
on
plans
to
expand
in
the
UK.

A
further
negative
figure
is
the
87
per
cent
of
rail
supply
chain
companies
who
do
not
believe
that
the
government
will
achieve
its
decarbonisation
targets
of
removing
all
diesel-only
trains
by
2040
and
achieving
a
fully
Net
Zero
railway
by
2050.

RIA
chief
executive
Darren
Caplan
said:
‘The
survey’s
conclusions
are
deeply
concerning.
They
show
rail
business
leaders
in
the
UK
anticipating
a
contraction
in
the
rail
market
at
a
time
when
Unife,
the
European
trade
association,
is
predicting
3
per
cent
rail
market
growth
every
year
around
the
world.

‘The
findings
show
the
lowest
levels
of
confidence
among
senior
leaders
on
the
growth
outlook
for
their
businesses
over
the
next
five
years
since
2019.
Over
80
per
cent
forecast
a
hiatus
in
work
in
the
year
ahead,
as
the
government
has
still
not
set
out
clear
steps
on
rail
reform
or
firm
commitments
and
timescales
for
delivering
major
projects.
This
adversely
impacts
recruitment,
expansion
plans
and
suppliers,
who
will
seek
overseas
markets
where
the
prospects
are
considered
better.

‘With
many
rail
business
leaders
still
reeling
from
the
news
that
HS2
Phase
2
between
Birmingham
and
Manchester
has
been
cancelled,
the
findings
from
this
survey
support
the
need
for
more
certainty
from
the
government
on
what
national,
regional
and
local
rail
work
–
both
track
and
train
–
it
wants
the
railway
industry
to
deliver
in
the
months
ahead.’