Watch: Getting Britain back on track - why investment in our railways holds the key

A new report launched by Hitachi Rail and the Purpose Coalition assesses the importance of investment in the rail industry in Britain, particularly looking at its socio-economic impact.

Transcript:

Developing our talent is one thing, but being able to enable that talent to get to opportunities is another. And you need both if we're really going to enable life transfers and local and regional economies to be kickstarted. For all of us, wherever we live, being able to get to where opportunities are is vital. We're going to be able to get on in life.

So during my time as Secretary of State for Transport, it was really clear to me that our transport infrastructure, especially rail, and investment in it, was at the heart of how we level up Britain. But there was a lot more to the investment than just that.

Because the rail industry and the investment programme it was working in partnership to deliver itself was a source of people getting opportunities, whether through apprenticeships or a whole variety of other roles in the rail sector that this investment has helped create, it's been an opportunity generator.

But it’s also part of how the sector can act as a driver of social mobility.

And Hitachi Rail is a big part of all of that. Its investments, especially in parts of the country where skilled opportunities can bring real benefits for communities, is such a great example showing the rail industry's potential to work as a real engine of social mobility. And in fact, Hitachi Rail's pioneering and innovative rail technology has driven forward the rail industry in Britain for almost two decades now. And it has a significant presence, not just manufacturing the 286 mainline passenger trains that many of us use day to day, but also its integrated work and the maintenance size it has across the country.

All of this is crucial for keeping us all connected to opportunities and for continuing to produce opportunities in a sector that aims to be open to the widest talent pool. And of course, with it's battery-trained technology and innovation, there's also a key part of this, it's how we reach net zero.

So it's a win-win for planet and people. Hitachi Rail's actively investing in building a skilled talent pipeline and raising aspirations in the communities it's part of.

So it's fantastic that it's now partnering with the Purpose Coalition, looking at how it can have even more impact, but also enabling Hitachi Rail to partner with other purpose-based organisations both in the private and public sector, sharing best practice and helping us all to get further faster on improving social mobility.

It's real leadership from Hitachi and it's all about addressing the pressing issues facing society with the underpinning goal of achieving equality of opportunity for all.