Looking back, and now forwards

摘要

As the dust has settled on 2020 it's clear that the Permanent Way Institution has emerged into 2021 in much better condition than we once feared. As the 2020 accounts reveal, and thanks to the generosity and continuing support of corporate and individual members, the Institution made a (very) small profit in the year: significantly improving on the Covid-19-driven year-end loss we anticipated back in Summer 2020. The PWI's experience looks to have been mirrored in the wider railway infrastructure sector. Whilst activity levels have undoubtedly dipped, it has been reassuring to see routine maintenance and renewal work continuing, and large multidisciplinary projects taking advantage of some easing of constraints on engineering access (a consequence of low passenger demand) to forge ahead. Physically at least, the UK railway remains in good shape.