Rail Industry Association Scotland organised the meeting with UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper MP on the 28th of April at the Scottish Conservatives Conference and saw rail issues debated.
The conference took place in Glasgow and the debate took place as part of the fringe event and saw the UK Secretary of State for Scotland discuss the need to provide rail reform working closely with the rail industry and investment, in order to provide improved passenger and freight experience.
The event attendees also included Shadow Scottish Transport Minister Graham Simpson MSP, RIA Scotland Chair Meirion Thomas, and leading the event was Alastair Dalton, Scotsman transport correspondent.
RIA Chief Executive Darren Caplan said:
“Clearly now is a significant time for the railways, with a number of industry-related items to deal with in the Secretary of State for Transport’s in-tray, including rail reform, making investment more certain and visible, decarbonising track and train, and providing funding for – and delivering – enhancements, major projects, and digitalisation. As such, we appreciate Transport Secretary Mark Harper meeting with RIA in Glasgow and then discussing the issues of the day at a conference event arranged by RIA Scotland. We hope to make positive progress with him on a number of fronts in the weeks and months ahead – this meeting and event were an encouraging start.”
Meirion Thomas, RIA Scotland Chair, said:
“It was great to see both Transport Secretary Mark Harper and Shadow Scottish Transport Minister Graham Simpson debate rail policy at the Scottish Conservatives’ rail fringe event hosted by RIA Scotland. We discussed a number of areas on how to take Scotland’s Railway forward, from investment and decarbonisation through to how to get HS2 trains to Scotland. It was also positive that Mr Harper was supportive of the role rail suppliers can play in ensuring a vibrant railway industry.”
“I would like to thank the UK Transport Secretary and Shadow Scottish Transport Minister Simpson for supporting the event.”
Responses
Get more people out and about on trains checking tickets. And issuing penalty fares to those with no tickets and to those who think it is OK to travel in 1st class on a Standard Class ticket.
The point is no one, not even the rail unions can stop (economic) progress.More and more people will look to buying rail tickets electronically/ online etc.You cannot have people sat in ticket office (say) selling only a few tickets,as it is not economicly viable.What is wrong, perse, with changing rail staff’s duty to suit changing times.But Government has to make sure rail operators ( whether run by the Government Company of Last Resort or on Rail Operating Contract )do all they can to serve the public.No pcodes, lack of catering trying to eliminate bustitutions etc.