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The Future of Scotland's Railways

Join the Rail Cluster for free to be part of the growing network of SMEs, rail manufacturers and contractors bringing jobs and investment to Scotland by creating more environmentally friendly train and track solutions.

Leading the World in Net Zero Emissions Railways

Work is underway to make Scotland a world leader in net zero emissions railways. The Rail Cluster is connecting Scottish SMEs with the country’s top manufacturing innovators and supply chain partners, so you can bring new ideas and new thinking to help deliver the decarbonisation of Scotland’s rail.

Through the Rail Cluster Hub – our online forum – you can see the latest contract opportunities and communicate directly with the rail companies that are developing this new future for Scotland’s rail.

You can see all the companies you can be collaborating with in the Directory and watch the webinars to stay up to date with the latest info and skill sessions.

The Rail Cluster is free to join so join today!

Catch up with all the webinars

ERCI Webinar | Interoperable Data & Blockchain: Incentives to Innovate in Rail

27 May 2024

First of a Kind 2022 competition funding webinar

12 May 2022

AmcoGiffen / ARQ Supply Chain Opportunities Webinar

3 March 2022

HS2 opportunities for Scottish businesses

7 December 2021

How to engage with the Spanish Global Manufacturer CAF

12 October 2021

Skills for Growth – Fully funded for Scottish SMEs – Supported by Remarkable

23 June 2021

Join close to 800 companies contributing to the future of Scotland's railways

Who is the Rail Cluster for?

Businesses across Scotland who have the skills and knowledge to help create sustainable, local employment and economic benefit to Scotland by creating more environmentally friendly train and track solutions.

The Rail Cluster network is made up of

SMEs
Train operators
Freight operators
Rolling stock manufacturers
The infrastructure owners
Contractors
Academics and research centres

What is the purpose of Rail Cluster?

To provide opportunities to Scottish SMEs to bring new ideas, new thinking and learning from other industries across Scotland into the railway sector.

By strengthening links between Scotland’s businesses and the rail sector, the Rail Cluster is key to delivering the decarbonisation of Scotland’s rail services by 2035 as well as supporting local employment and economic growth across the country.

Why join the Rail Cluster?

Through the Rail Cluster Hub – our online forum – you can see the latest opportunities and communicate directly with the SMEs and rail companies delivering a new future for Scotland’s rail.

By bringing your expertise to the table, you can help shape the next generation of railways in Scotland and secure long-term business opportunities for your company.

Why is the Rail Cluster important?

The Rail Cluster connects Scottish businesses with rail sector organisations, strengthening and deepening relationships with key stakeholders across the sector and helping to create innovative, green solutions that will support the net zero targets set out in the Scottish Government’s Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan.

What's new in Phase 2 of the Rail Cluster?

An important element of Phase 2, which will run until 2025, will be ensuring businesses have access to support to address the skills-related challenges faced by businesses in the rail sector.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will also provide support to companies to identify their skills needs, and how to develop their existing workforce in order to build capacity, grasp opportunities and increase competitiveness.

The Rail Cluster Directory

Search, contact and collaborate with the companies who make up the Rail Cluster

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The Rail Cluster delivered by

Scottish Engineering, the premier membership organisation for Scotland's businesses.

We provide our members with invaluable access to professional services, such as health & safety, legal services as well as access to policymakers on local, national and international levels.

The continuous updates on employment law and economic data ensure our members are up to date with what is happening within industry. Our broad and diverse range of members creates a sense of community, where companies can rely on the advice and support of their peers within industry to create solutions to common challenges and share their best practice solutions.

Events

Webinars

Resources

Quotes about the Rail Cluster

We are excited to be given the opportunity to step up our ambition for the Rail Cluster in this new phase, renewing our focus on finding ways to connect Scotland’s Engineering SME’s to opportunity in the rail sector.

Our continued involvement allows us to help companies seeking to diversify their business into rail, matching their interest in sustainable business streams which will flow from the clearly defined targets for rail de-carbonisation in Scotland and the UK.

I’m pleased the Rail Cluster Builder project has been extended following the success of the first phase. This rail cluster will make a significant impact to the rail industry and also Scottish businesses in the longer-term. I am delighted that the Scottish Government is providing funding of £75k for phase 2 of this project, as phase one has already demonstrated the potential to boost jobs and skills while contributing to inclusive economic growth in Scotland.

In 2020 the Scottish Government launched our Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan which sets out in detail how we will decarbonise Scotland’s rail services by 2035 and contribute towards our commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. We have binding targets set in law to reduce emissions and meeting these targets requires ambitious actions and doing things differently.

Working together with partners to deliver innovative ideas and solutions will advance our path to a low carbon economy. This will not only help to deliver sustainable economic growth but also secure wider benefits to a greener, fairer and healthier Scotland.

The Rail Cluster Builder has been a fantastic example of how we can build on Scotland’s existing areas of expertise to make our industries fit for the future.

The Cluster Builder is already helping ensure Scottish companies will be ready to benefit from worldwide growth in the low carbon rail sector and this second phase will connect even more Scottish businesses with the country’s top manufacturing innovators, as well as connecting up supply chain partners.

This means real opportunities for SMEs in Scotland, as well as contributing to our ambitions for more and better jobs and a green economic recovery. I’m really excited to see how much more will be delivered in phase two.

We have strengthened the Scottish Engineering Rail Cluster team to ensure that this new phase of the Rail Cluster is well resourced to deliver at the pace and the quality that we have set our sights on.

And while we will retain the elements that have delivered a successful cluster to date, we look forward to bringing new ideas and innovation to the way we deliver, including an outward view to the rail opportunities across the UK, Europe and beyond.

Businesses regularly cite the availability of skills as one of the key considerations when deciding where to invest, and the Rail Cluster Builder project will help place Scotland at the forefront of this exciting sector.

Not only will it help create high-value jobs, it’s a key part of our journey to net zero, and SDS will work as part of Team Scotland to help ensure it provides the skills needed to decarbonise our rail network.