Over the next six years, £47.9 billion is set to be spent on the operation, maintenance and renewal of railways as part of a government initiative to become more focused on issues that matter most to passengers. The use of composites within the rail industry is predicted to grow by up to 40% (£100 million) between 2015 and 2020 according to the Composites Leadership Forum.

Composites are widely used in a number of industries: aerospace, automotive, marine and many more where the strength to weight ratio is critical. Other industries are now moving to adopt composites at a rapid rate. One such example is rail.

The rising interest in and use of composite products in rail has led Composites UK to join forces with the Rail Alliance to help companies understand these new materials and how they can be used to solve industry challenges.