Huw Merriman, the rail minister in the United Kingdom, chose to thank the industry with his address to members and guests at the December meeting of the Rail Freight Group. The UK representative body was meeting in London, for its annual December lunch. The minister’s main message was one of thanks to everyone for what he called all of the outstanding work carried out in a very challenging environment. The audience present at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, on the edge of Hyde Park, included rail freight operators, customers, logistics companies, ports, and support and supply chain representatives.