This week marks the 3rd anniversary of the Rail Sector Deal which set out a new approach to industry and government working in partnership to transform the sector. The Rail Supply Group is working with Government to update the Deal so that its priorities better reflect current Government policy and the impact of the pandemic and climate change.
The Rail Supply Group would like industry views on the Rail Sector Deal priorities for 2022 and beyond. They have just launched an industry-wide survey, led by independent market researchers Savanta ComRes.
The Rail Supply Group was asked by Government to deliver the Rail Sector Deal, through taking actions to: increase digital technology, boost productivity, increase exports overseas and build the skills of the UK workforce. During the past 18 months of the Covid-19 crisis the excellent response from the industry to a Savanta ComRes survey led the Rail Supply Group to prioritise action on 3 core areas; improving work pipeline visibility, simplifying data access and changing railway access arrangements.
Philip Hoare, Rail Supply Group Chair and President Atkins said:
Our industry has undergone enormous change since 2018. Covid-19 has dramatically altered UK travel behaviour, the climate crisis means we must adapt and act rapidly and the current transition towards Great British Railways creates a superb opportunity to improve the way we deliver across the sector. All of this means that we must update the priorities set out in the Rail Sector Deal to align Government and industry objectives to ensure we deliver improvement for our customers. This is your call to action, please spend your next 10 minutes completing this important survey to give us your views on priorities for our industry.”