Serco chief Rupert Soames leads Yorkshire rail suppliers on UKTI trade mission to Germany

A British rail industry on a UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) mission is heading to Germany to drive business with Deutsche Bahn.

Rupert Soames, group chief executive of international service group Serco, will spearhead the mission with a delegation of 17 suppliers based across the Northern Powerhouse area with a strong contingent from Yorkshire and the Humber.

From 14th to 18th March 2016, they will be visiting what is already the largest single overseas market for UK rail supply companies with the mission aiming to enhance that export trade by establishing links with Deutsche Bahn, its subsidiaries and supply chain.

By 2017 Deutsche Bahn, number one in Europe for freight transport, rail infrastructure and the number of stations operated, will invest €32bn across infrastructure, traction and rolling stock with an annual purchasing power of €30bn.

The companies on the mission form a key part of the UK rail sector which generates some £3.4bn for the UK economy annually with the supply chain alone employing about 124,000 people.

In recognition of the value and importance of domestic rail transport, the Government in investing more than £38bn in mainline railways as part of an overall investment of £88bn in rail such as the high-speed HS2 link between London, the Midlands and the North of England.

In the North alone, the Government has announced new rail franchise operators for Northern Rail and TransPennine Express, 500 new rail carriages, room for 40,000 more passengers and more services in a £1.2bn improvement scheme.

Seven Yorkshire and the Humber-based rail sector supply businesses on the mission include Unipart Rail, which will be sharing its insight on supply chain management in complex markets gained through its own increasing involvement in international markets.

Mr Soames is chief executive of Serco plc, which employs 70,000 staff delivering public services in transport, health, justice & immigration, defence and citizens services in North America, the UK and mainland Europe, the Middle East and Australia and New Zealand.

In the UK transport sector, Serco operates the Caledonian Sleeper, and together with Abellio runs the Northern Rail and MerseyRail franchises. Serco also operates the London Cycle Hire Scheme and Northlink Ferries.

Mr Soames will address mission delegates as part of his role as Business Ambassador for UKTI at the British Embassy in Berlin on Monday, 14th March.

He said: “It is a tremendous privilege to be leading this delegation; the range of technology and services that the UK produces for rail transport is astonishing and a testament to our history, and our future, as innovators in the world of rail.”

Mark Robson, UKTI regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber, added: “This trade mission provides a potentially invaluable platform for growth for our rail supply businesses with Deutsche Bahn as the premier state rail operator in mainland Europe and perhaps most importantly, could gain them access to its multi-billion euro purchasing power.”

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