The organisation represents the interests of companies involved in rail freight wagons across the UK including wagon owners, keepers, users, designers, manufacturers, hirers, ECMs, consultants, maintainers and operators.
Colin said: “I am excited and honoured to be taking up this position. I feel this is an important period for rail freight as we address industry matters resulting from the Llangennech incident. There are also wider societal matters, such as the need to decarbonise, and as transporting more freight by rail gains momentum. Both of these have the potential to have a far reaching and positive impact on rail freight and particularly the RWA with our focus on wagons.”
Colin said he wanted to concentrate on three key areas:
- Delivery of the Llangennech recommendations and continuing the good work already started by the RWA and the wider rail freight industry
- The wider industry freight training need. Colin explained that some companies have their own excellent in-house training programmes but there is a need for an accredited wagon maintenance training programme that would attract new skilled people to join the industry and address the need for digital skills as more condition-based monitoring on wagons is introduced.
- Colin would also like to focus on the benefits of decarbonisation. He said: “Given the need to decarbonise and the inherent benefits of rail freight this places a challenge on the industry in terms of how we will support and deliver this growth with new wagons. We need more wagon builders and fitters.”
The purpose of the RWA is to undertake the role of a professional trade body for its members by representing their interests in liaison with other industry participants, the DfT, the UIC (via UIP membership) and any other appropriate bodies.
RWA facilitates the sharing of information, the discussion of relevant engineering and safety issues and developing appropriate responses. RWA does not have any manufacturing, services, or supply chain operations of its own.