150 YEARS OLD AND GOING STRONG
As the Railway Industry Association celebrates its 150th anniversary, ANDY RODEN looks at how while the railway has changed beyond recognition, its core purposes remain the same
Aside from steel wheels and rails – plus a smattering of semaphore signalling at its extremities - the railway today is hugely different from that in 1875. The biggest private railways built most of their locomotives, carriages and wagons in house, but there were plenty of smaller players who relied on independent constructors for their needs. So too did the rapidly expanding railways of the British Empire – and Britain was amongst the pre-eminent builders of everything a colony needed to join the railway revolution.
But in the home market, private locomotive builders were facing the prospect of competition from
RIA’s 150th anniversary is a major landmark in the organisation’s proud history. I would like to pay tribute to all the supplier companies which have made up RIA’s membership going right back to 1875, working with the association to champion the collective interests of a dynamic rail supply sector. In this 150th year of RIA we have planned an exciting programme of activities and events, to both celebrate RIA’s heritage but also to anticipate the next evolution of UK rail – itself celebrating an amazing 200 years – and RIA’s history within it.
RIA CHIEF EXECUTIVE
DARREN CAPLAN
the London & North Western Railway, which offered to construct locomotives for its regional counterpart the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway – against its remit.
The works manager of the Yorkshire Engine Company, Edward Antoine Sacre, sought opinions from counterparts in other locomotive builders, and to combat this new and unwelcome competition, in 1875, the Locomotive Manufacturer’s Association was formed. An injunction to prevent the LNWR was secured later that year, cementing the purpose of the LMA and starting an unbroken line of lobbying for railway suppliers that continues to this day as the Railway
Industry Association (RIA), which the LMA renamed to in 1971 after becoming the Locomotive and Allied Manufacturers’ Association (LAMA) in 1957 and broadened its membership to encompass the whole supply chain. Despite the huge changes over the past 150 years, many of the LMA’s aims from those early years remain relevant today:
■ Managing change
■ Exporting excellence
■ Pushing the boundaries
■ Making the case
■ Championing the supply chain
CONSTANT CHANGE
When the LMA was formed, despite the possibility of established
Continual innovation:
companies still export rolling stock, 150 years after the LMA was founded. This view shows Cairo monorail vehicles under construction at Alstom’s Derby Works. Philip Sherratt
railways competing with private manufacturers, Britain’s railway was approaching its zenith but the Great War placed new demands on industry and accelerated mergers of smaller railways. The LMA’s members had to cope with the demands of the war effort on a system and industry never set up for a global conflict. There were labour shortages despite many roles being exempt from conscription – and in the aftermath, the transition to peace and new competition from former armaments manufacturers – helped by the rapid-fire development of internal combustion engines during
the war. Amalgamation of the private railways into the ‘Big Four’ companies and then the Second World War all created new challenges for the association and its members.
Modernisation of and nationalisation of Britain’s ‘Big Four’ private railways from the late-1940s created new opportunities in the development of diesel and electric trains, but also new pressures in shifting design and production from steam. And, as the network shrank from the early 1960s, followed by falling demand for new rolling stock in the second half of the decade, consolidation of what was once a
For 150 years, the Railway Industry Association has championed the skilled hands and expert minds of Britain’s railways, driving innovation, technical excellence and an unwavering commitment to keeping our country connected. From small enterprises to major contractors, RIA members have propelled our railway from the steam age to the digital era. As we celebrate this milestone, we look forward to an enduring collaboration, powering the railway’s vital role in our future.
NETWORK RAIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE ANDREW HAINES
significant manufacturing sector inevitably followed. The creation of first LAMA in 1957 and then RIA in 1971 were logical and necessary steps to expand the range of suppliers in the association as BR’s Works were able to build much of its rolling stock after the ‘big bang’ of modernisation had concluded. The need for a comprehensive association covering the whole sector was evident – and quite possibly urgent. RIA got off to a strong start, advocating for financial assistance for the five Passenger Transport Executives which emerged from the 1968 Transport Act. It
also pushed hard for the UK’s rail industry to collaborate and win contracts to build the Hong Kong Underground. The success of those efforts can still be seen today, with UK-built trains still in operation, although now being withdrawn after lengthy and successful careers.
Since then, RIA and its members successfully navigated the continuing decline of the railway into the 1980s, its revival from the late-1980s and replacement of those first generation diesel and electric trains into the privatisation era. While the fragmentation of the railway is deservedly
criticised, it created opportunities for suppliers to innovate and bring new products to market.
From the initial semi-adversarial relationship the LMA had with the UK’s bigger railways – which tended to build their own rolling stock in house – the approach has long been one of partnership between infrastructure manager, operators and the supply chain, all working to further the railway’s interest as a whole.
Today the UK’s railway is at another inflection point with the creation of Great British Railways and considerable uncertainty about how
it will work, how it will be funded and what it means for the supply chain. One of the few constants throughout this time has been the presence of RIA and its predecessors the LMA and LAMA in advocating for its members.
EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES
When the LMA was created, the British Empire provided a ready export market for locomotive and rolling stock manufacturers, and although global supply chains have changed radically, the UK still exports rolling stock, with the most recent high-profile example being Cairo monorail vehicles built
in Derby. However, while UK-based manufacturers – often as part of multinational companies – continue to export high value equipment around the world, it is the deep and broad knowledge base within the UK that may be more influential. Major consultancies based in the UK advise on projects all over the world – from turnkey solutions to cutting edge signalling and train control, software and much more. Hard-won expertise and institutional memories are powerful reminders that the country which invented the modern railway remains at the leading edge of innovation.
Partnership approach: today’s Railway Industry Association incorporates all aspects of the railway, including infrastructure, such as these track upgrades at Westbury. Network Rail
RIA has always supported its members in the export markets and continues to do so, hosting events in Europe, North America and the Middle East, arranging trade missions and inward delegations and organising UK pavilions at major trade exhibitions such as InnoTrans which enable smaller scale members to punch their weight on a global scale. The days of the UK supplying rolling stock all over the globe may be long gone,
but its presence in the overseas rail market remains considerable.
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
If the wider rail industry is at a point of change, the last three decades have witnessed a massive burst of new technology with huge potential to transform how the railway is planned, managed, operated and maintained – but taking a concept to trial and eventually market is a significant roadblock to startup companies.
DIRECTOR-GENERALS & CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF RIA AND PREDECESSORS
1875-1902 Ephraim Hutchings (Pictured left)
1902-1933 Gordon W. Dabell
1933-1953 John W. Vaughan OBE
1953-1985 George R. Curry
1985-1989 David Gillan
1989-2017 Jeremy Candfield
2017-present Darren Caplan (pictured right)
In recognition of this need to help its members, RIA supports the Modern Railways Railway Innovation Awards, and to further help companies innovating products, created its Unlocking Innovation programme.
This initiative, in partnership with Network Rail, UK Rail Research and Innovation Network and Telent, hosts a series of events, workshops and networking opportunities to help members bring their ideas to fruition with topics covering areas such as artificial intelligence, ticketing and retail and more.
These activities are of immense importance to the rail industry as it embarks on a software and hardware revolution which could change almost every facet of the railway and have as profound an influence as the switch from steam to diesel and electric traction on the railway. The most important
For 150 years RIA has been the figurehead of those working tirelessly to improve and maintain the UK’s railways. This country is the pioneer of rail travel. From the first passenger services 200 years ago, to continuing to grow and develop our rail industry in a sustainable way, RIA has represented the experts and products at the forefront of this innovation and determination.
The members of RIA contribute £43billion to economic growth a year and employ over 700,000 people - their contribution to not only the rail industry but the UK as a whole, cannot be underestimated. I congratulate them on their 150th anniversary and wish them the best for their work over the next 150 years.
RAIL MINISTER LORD PETER HENDY
innovations may well be sparked and assisted by RIA’s programmes.
MAKING THE CASE
RIA’s support for its members goes beyond arranging events and connecting customers with suppliers. With national, devolved and regional administrations responsible for the majority of funding of the network, a fragmented railway with often competing priorities inevitably struggles to present a single coherent viewpoint to decision-makers.
The need for considered, evidence-based advocacy is made all the more pressing by the short timescales on which many funding and investment decisions are made. RIA has made important contributions to the need for a long-term rolling stock programme to avoid privatisation era boom and bust cycles, decarbonisation,
long-term demand, the role of stations and much, much more. This May, RIA opened a new office in Leeds – in addition to its premises in London and Rayleigh – offering meeting rooms and event spaces for members.
RIA will also hold its own events and meetings in the northern base, including Member Interest Groups, workshops, roundtables and RIA Training Services courses. The development reflects RIA’s structural changes which themselves reflect the increasing regionalisation of the rail industry.
Yet while RIA’s output has broadened over the years to encompass the whole railway, legislation and policy around it and wider issues, its intense lobbying harks back to the organisation’s start, when the LMA was formed to quite literally make the case against anticompetitive measures by the LNWR.
CHAMPIONING THE INDUSTRY
Over the last century and a half, the railway has been through huge
changes and dealt with colossal challenges – but one of the very few constants is the presence of this association representing the interests of the supply chain. Railways have come and gone; ownership and structure have changed repeatedly, and the competitive environment is vastly different to that 150 years ago.
RIA represents more than 400 companies, and its analysis suggests the railway supports in excess of 640,000 jobs and generates £41 billion in economic value and £14 billion in tax revenue every year. The industry is by any measure a huge success – but the hundreds of organisations within it need a strong champion, especially in such times of structural flux for the domestic railway.
But viewed over the long term, the creation of Great British Railways is just another chapter in the story of the iron road, and whatever happens over the next 50 years, it is a safe bet that RIA will continue to bat hard for a stronger, better railway for all. a
Supporting exports: RIA hosts a UK pavilion at the InnoTrans trade fair, offering members a chance to showcase their products on a global stage. Courtesy RIA
Expanding reach: RIA’s new offices in Leeds. Courtesy RIA
Looking to the future: RIA members are paving the way for digital signalling on the East Coast main line: this view shows the cab of a Class 43 with its ETCS driver machine interface visible. Network Rail
