Lord Adonis Announces Two New Rail Engineering Academies

Just one week after publishing the government’s plans for a new High Speed Rail network, the transport Secretary has now announced the creation of a new National Skills Academy for Rail Engineering, which will receive almost £3m from the Skills Funding Agency, along with the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy, for Crossrail, which will receive almost £5m from the Learning Skills Council.

Lord Adonis commented “Building and maintaining this network  [HS2] would not only create significant new opportunities for the UK’s design, engineering, construction and manufacturing sectors, it would require a new generation of skilled railwaymen and women. Over the next twenty to thirty years the UK will require a step-change in transport capacity and connectivity. We believe high speed rail is the way to achieve this step change and this Rail Academy will help provide the skills we would need to make it a reality.”