The Rail Industry Association celebrates 150 years!
Posted: 11 July 2025 | Elizabeth Jordan - Global Railway Review | No comments yet
The Railway Industry Association (RIA) marked its 150th anniversary with a special celebration in London on 10th July, bringing together its members and the wider railway industry, policy makers and influencers, key stakeholders, and communications and media professionals.
Some 600 people attended the ‘RIA 150 Celebration’, hosted in partnership with Railway 200, to honour both the Association’s historic landmark year and its key contribution to the development of the UK railway industry for 15 decades.
Guests joined from across the diverse rail supply community and heard speeches from RIA’s Chief Executive Darren Caplan and Chair Noel Travers, Angie Doll, Chief Executive Officer at GTR, Andy Lord, Commissioner for Transport for London, and Justin Moss, Rail Director at Platinum Sponsor, Gleeds.
The occasion included a networking reception with food and drinks, a charity raffle in support of the Railway Children, live acoustic music, and the launch of RIA’s commemorative book, titled ‘Steam to Digital: 150 years of the Railway Industry Association’.
The event was supported by Platinum Sponsor Gleeds, Silver Sponsors Blu Wireless Technology and Nextec Engineering, Official Partner Railway 200, Charity Partner Railway Children, and Strategic Partner Railway Museum.
Commenting on the RIA 150 Celebration, RIA Chief Executive Darren Caplan said, “It really is a privilege to be surrounded by so many members and friends of the Railway Industry Association, as we celebrate our 150th Anniversary. To mark this major landmark in RIA’s history, we’ve published the RIA 150 book, entitled ‘Steam to Digital: 150 years of the Railway Industry Association’, which outlines the Association’s rich history from its beginnings as the Locomotive Manufacturers’ Association in 1875, through decades of transformation, to the present day.
“I would like to thank all of our valued members, both past and present, as well as key stakeholders and rail professionals, for their ongoing support, and also the fantastic RIA team which has worked so hard for the Association in all its incarnations over the years. Together, their contributions have allowed us to champion a dynamic UK rail supply sector for the last 150 years and we will continue to seek to do so in the decades to come.”
