Railway Industry Association

Railway Industry Association

Industry	Rail transport
Predecessor	Locomotive and Allied Manufacturers' Association
Headquarters	London, England, UK
Website	www.riagb.org.uk

RIA is the voice of the UK rail supply community; the national trade association for UK-based suppliers to the railway industry. Established in 1875, RIA has over 360 member companies from across the supply chain, over 60% of which are small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The member companies represent a large proportion of the rail industry by turnover, reflect a great diversity of disciplines within the sector and cover the lengths and breadths of the UK. They support the delivery of a bigger and better rail industry, representing the sector as an essential generator of economic growth, jobs and investment, supporting a low carbon form of mass transit for communities across the UK. The Current Chief Executive of RIA is Darren Caplan.

RIA is highly-regarded, passionate, expert team works on behalf of their members, to shape the industry through:

• Exporting and international opportunities in rail

• Technical, environmental and safety developments in rail

• Innovation, technology and rail research

• Rail Policy in the UK and Europe

• Public Affairs and lobbying on rail issues

RIA engages throughout the year with hundreds of stakeholders, including Ministers and civil servants in Government, in particular at the Departments for Transport (DfT); Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS); and International Trade (DIT). They also work with all major rail clients across the UK. These include: Network Rail, Transport Scotland, Transport for Wales, HS2, Transport for London (TfL), East West Rail, and many others. RIA is active in all regions and nations of the UK, hosting events and advocating both for our members and for the wider rail supply community.

The members also benefit from access to daily online updates and about 100 quality networking events per year, plus preferential hire of our rooms and event space in London. RIA collaborates with a range of industry partners to help drive positive change in our sector, on areas such as decarbonisation, innovation, equality and diversity or supporting SMEs.

Awards

RIA has won several awards including:

Trade Association of the Year | Trade Association Awards 2024

Diversity & Inclusion Award | Trade Association Awards 2024

Best Long Standing Association Event - RIA Innovation Conference 2023 |The Association Excellence Awards 2023

The Miles Smith Insurance Group Leadership Award - Darren Caplan |Trade Association Best Practice Awards 2022

Diversity & Inclusion Award | Trade Association Best Practice Awards 2022

Best Lobbying Campaign - Rail Decarb |The Association Excellence Awards 2022

Leadership Award - Darren Caplan |Trade Association Forum Awards 2022

Best Equality, Diversity or Inclusion Campaign |Highly Commended 2022

Diversity in the Workplace, won jointly with Women in Rail | Railway Technology Awards 2021

Best Lobbying Campaign or Advancement of a Cause During Covid-19 Under 500 Members |Bronze The Association Excellence Awards 2021

In-House Team of the Year | PRCA Public Affairs Awards 2020

Membership Event of the Year <400 | Memcom Excellence Awards 2020

Overall Best Association, Under 1000 Members | Association Excellence Awards 2019

Conference of the Year for RIA's Annual Conference | Trade Association Forum Awards 2019

Conference of the Year for RIA's Innovation Conference | Trade Association Forum Awards 2018

Director-Generals & Chief Executives of RIA

1875 - 1902: Ephraim Hutchings

1902 - 1933: Gordon W Dabell

1933 - 1953: John W Vaughan OBE

1953 - 1985: George R Curry

1985 - 1999: David Gillan

1999 - 2017: Jeremy Candfield

2017 - present: Darren Caplan

History

The Railway Industry Association was formed more than 140 years ago, but has been in its present from since 1971.

The Formation of the Locomotive Manufacturers' Association

In the 1800s, British railways were unusual in that the larger companies built most of their locomotives and rolling stock themselves, with the locomotive manufacturers concentrating on the export market. However, by the early 1870s the company workshops had spare capacity and decided they should try and utilise their capabilities to start building locomotives for other railways. Many companies also chose to amalgamate with other railway operators.

In 1872/3, the London & North Western Railway began exploring a merger with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) - and whilst this took place, they provided a number of locos to L&YR from their vast Crewe workshops.

Yet, when the amalgamation of the two companies was rejected by Parliament, the London & North Western Railway continued to supply L&YR with locomotives, providing 25 out of the 50 the company required in 1875 - placing London & North Western Railway in direct competition with the manufacturers who would have otherwise supplied L&YR.

In April 1875, the major manufacturers met and agreed to pursue legal action against the London & North Western Railway. On 4 June 1875, they set up the 'Locomotive Manufacturer's Association' to protect the interests of the locomotive builders. Ephraim Hutchings was appointed the first Secretary of the Association.

A High Court injunction on the London & North Western Railway was obtained on 16 December 1875, marking success for the Association. Between 1877 and 1880 the Association fought a number of legal disputes to prohibit the manufacturing of locomotives by railway companies, unless explicitly stated. This only changed in 1968 when the Transport Act allowed railway workshops to manufacture equipment.

The Development of RIA

Until 1957, the Locomotive Manufacturer's Association's membership was limited to the builders of complete locomotives. However, in 1957 the organisation expanded to encompass those companies in the lower tiers of the supply chain, who were just as integral in manufacturing locomotives - and an industry that was growing rapidly with the advent of electric traction. The organisation became known as the Locomotive and Allied Manufacturers Association (LAMA).

In 1971, the organisation took on its present title - the Railway Industry Association - as its membership broadened to include companies involved in the provision of infrastructure for rail. This was mainly due to the work of George Ramshaw Curry (photo on the left) who joined what was then the Locomotive Manufacturers’ Association as Assistant Director and was appointed Director in 1954. Over the next 31 years, he was responsible for the progressive expansion of the then LAMA and its transition to RIA. Retiring in October 1985, Curry had seen the gradual expansion of RIA's membership, influence and agenda. He was well-liked in the industry and was known for always being conscious that, in a technology-based industry, it was people who made things happen. Many engineers and managers throughout the industry benefited from his personal interest in their careers.

In recognition of his immense contribution to the railway industry, George Curry was made a Companion of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in October 1985, a rare distinction awarded to those non-engineers who have rendered important services to mechanical engineering. He died in June 1986 after a brief illness; but his legacy lives on, particularly through the annual George Ramshaw Curry Lectures organised by the IMechE.

As RIA welcomed a wider membership, its services and offerings continued to develop too. RIA become more involved in promoting the rail industry overseas, in continuing to lobby Government for the rail sector, providing technical advice and providing more networking events and conference. All these things it still does to this day.

RIA produced RailPower , a quarterly magazine free for railway and government officers at home and overseas, similar to RIA's current Update. RIA also provided training courses for overseas railway engineers in the track, motive power, signalling and telecommunications sector and as of 2000, more than 450 engineers from 70 different countries had attended RIA courses.

Structure

It is headquartered at Kings Buildings in Smith Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament. It is governed by a Board of rail industry leaders from the various sub sectors such as rolling stock, infrastructure, SMEs and consultants.

Function

It represents over 280 companies in the UK railway equipment industry.

It has published reports on behalf of the rail industry including the Electrification cost challenge. It commissioned research from Oxford Economics in 2018 showing that the rail industry provides £36 billion in economic growth, supports 600,000 jobs and provides £11 billion in tax revenue a year. On 1 October 2019 it published an update to the recommendations to government to avoid boom and bust cycles. In November 2019 it published its manifesto for long-term investment to 2050 in the railway. This was published in the run up to the UK General election on 12 December 2019.

See also

• High Speed 2
• Campaign to Electrify Britain’s Railways

External links

• RIA