Rail supply chain welcomes investment clarity from Infrastructure Pipeline

UK: A total of 29 rail projects representing £50bn of planned investment over the next 10 years are included in the Infrastructure Pipeline of 780 major capital infrastructure schemes worth £530bn which has been published by National Infrastructure & Service Transformation Authority.

The Pipeline published on July 17 is not an announcement of new policy or projects, but provides an update on the latest position of each scheme. It is intended that the Pipeline will be regularly updated, initially on a six-monthly schedule. It is intended to become a comprehensive online database of information for companies in the supply chain which are looking to understand future demand, so that they can plan investment in capacity and skills development.

The Pipeline contains fewer projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, reflecting devolution arrangements.

Supply chain leaders welcome clarity

Publication of the Pipeline was welcomed by Railway Industry Association CEO Darren Caplan, who said RIA has ‘consistently called on successive governments to provide a pipeline for railway projects over the years, so it is good that, following the publishing of an Infrastructure Strategy last month in June, an Infrastructure Pipeline has been announced today’. Publication ‘is of course the start of a process, and we will interrogate the details in the coming weeks, particularly with regard to the scoping, scheduling, timescales, resourcing and costs of the rail projects contained within it’.

Caplan added that ‘it is also important that a rolling stock strategy is published’.

Marie-Claude Hemming, Group Policy Director at the Association for Consultancy & Engineering, said the Pipeline offers ‘precisely the kind of clarity and long-term vision our industry needs. For too long, infrastructure planning in Britain has been plagued by short-termism, with skills and labour recruitment matching the peak and troughs of government commitment to projects.’

Chris Ball, UK & Ireland President at AtkinsRéalis, said ‘businesses across the industry will celebrate: we finally have visibility of programmes planned over the next decade so that we can plan, recruit, train and invest accordingly’.

He noted that ‘many of the engineers, planners and contractors who will deliver those future projects are still in school today: this pipeline is also a rallying call to industry to energise our skills, education and early years programmes’.

Leo Quinn, Group Chief Executive of Balfour Beatty, said ‘the challenge now is keeping up momentum and making it a trusted tool for long-term UK infrastructure planning.’

Richard Whitehead, Chief Executive for Europe & India at AECOM, said ‘a stable infrastructure pipeline, insulated from political cycles, is vital for maintaining long-term certainty and ensuring the efficient delivery of major projects. It’s now time to shift from strategy to delivery.’