Some basic UK rail statistics

Basic UK Rail Freight Volume carried (Tonne-kilometres) and comparisons with other modes

Introduction

The following data shows the total volume of GB freight traffic back to 1953 expressed in tonne-km (so ten tonnes travelling one kilometre creates ten tonne/km and one tonne travelling ten km would also generate ten tonne/km). For comparative purposes other major modes are shown as well as rail.

It will be striking immediately that rail's share has dropped by about a half during this period, while total traffic has gone up by factor of three. Clearly rail's share of the market has diminished hugely during this period, not helped by loss of many traditional loads (notably coal). It would have been hit harder if it had not focused heavily on what rail does best which is long distance hauls in trainload units.

Caution should be used in comparing individual years with another, or reading too much into apparent accuracy of the numbers. The usual complaints apply here - that many numbers can only be estimated and the basis of collection of data and its presentation has frequently changed, not always with explanation.

The whole of the data after 2008 has recently been altered and recast by DfT (with some very significant changes) and no reason has been attributed. Quite what the 'true' numbers are I cannot say.


The Data

The table below shows the following, in column order:
(1) Year, either calendar year or April to March, as indicated;
(2) Number of tonne-kilometres carried on national rail network in billions;
(3) Number of tonne-kilometres carried on national road network in billions;
(4) Number of tonne-kilometres carried by water between uk ports and on waterways in billions;
(5) Number of tonne-kilometres carried by UK pipelines in billions;
(6) Total number of tonne-kilometres carried within UK on all modes;
(7) Proportion of total tonne-kilometres in UK (all modes) undertaken by rail;
(8) Proportion of total tonne-kilometres in UK (all modes) undertaken by road;
(9) Proportion of total tonne-kilometres in UK (all modes) undertaken by water.

All numbers are in billions of tonne-kilometres a year (except columns 7-9 which are percentages).

e = Estimate (Data not yet published)

Notes (1)
Year		 (2)
UK Rail (all)		 (3)
UK Road (all)		 (4)
UK water		 (5)
UK Pipeline		 (6)
UK All Freight		 (7)
UK Rail share		 (8)
UK Road share		 (9)
UK Water share
2010-1 19 151 n/a n/a 230e 8.3%e 65.7%e 21.3%e
2009-10 19 137 49 10 215 8.8% 63.7% 23.0%
1 2008-9 21 157 50 10 238 8.8% 66.0% 21.0%
2007-8 21 169 51 10 251 8.4% 67.3% 20.3%
  2006-7 22 163 52 11 248 8.9% 65.7% 21.0%
  2005-6 22 163 61 11 257 8.6% 63.4% 23.7%
2 2004-5 20 163 59 11 253 7.9% 64.4% 23.3%
  2003-4 19 162 61 11 253 7.5% 64.0% 24.1%
  2002-3 19 159 67 11 256 7.4% 62.1% 26.2%
  2001-2 19 159 59 12 249 7.6% 63.9% 23.7%
  2000-1 18 159 67 11 255 7.1% 62.4% 26.3%
3 1999-00 18 158 59 12 247 7.3% 64.0% 23.9%
  1998-9 17 160 57 12 246 6.9% 65.0% 23.2%
  1997-8 17 157 48 11 233 7.3% 67.4% 20.6%
4 1996-7 15 154 55 12 236 6.4% 65.3% 23.3%
  1995-6 13 150 53 11 227 5.7% 66.1% 23.3%
  1994-5 13 144 52 12 221 5.9% 65.2% 23.5%
  1993-4 14 135 51 12 212 6.6% 63.7% 24.1%
  1992-3 16 127 55 11 209 7.7% 60.8% 26.3%
  1991-2 15 130 58 11 214 7.0% 60.7% 27.1%
  1990-1 16 136 56 11 219 7.3% 62.1% 25.6%
5 1989-00 17 138 58 10 223 7.6% 61.9% 26.0%
  1988-9 18 130 59 11 218 8.3% 59.6% 27.2%
  1987-8 18 113 54 11 196 9.2% 57.7% 27.6%
  1986-7 17 105 55 10 187 9.1% 56.1% 29.4%
  1985-6 15 103 58 11 187 8.0% 55.1% 31.0%
6 1984-5 13 100 60 10 183 7.1% 54.6% 32.8%
  1983 17 96 60 10 183 9.3% 52.5% 32.8%
  1982 16 95 59 10 180 8.9% 52.8% 32.8%
  1981 18 94 53 9 174 10.3% 54.0% 30.5%
  1980 18 93 54 10 175 10.3% 53.1% 30.9%
  1979 20 103 56 10 189 10.6% 54.5% 29.6%
  1978 20 100 48 10 178 11.2% 56.2% 27.0%
  1977 20 98 71 9 198 10.1% 49.5% 35.9%
  1976 21 96 30 6 153 13.7% 62.7% 19.6%
  1975 21 92 28 6 147 14.3% 62.6% 19.0%
  1974 22 90 31 5 148 14.9% 60.8% 20.9%
  1973 23 90 31 5 149 15.4% 60.4% 20.8%
7 1972 21 88 29 4 142 14.8% 62.0% 20.4%
  1971 22 86 22 4 134 16.4% 64.2% 16.4%
  1970 25 85 23 3 136 18.4% 62.5% 16.9%
  1969 23 83 24 3 133 17.3% 62.4% 18.0%
  1968 23 79 25 2 129 17.8% 61.2% 19.4%
  1967 21 75 25 2 123 17.1% 61.0% 20.3%
  1966 24 73 26 2 125 19.2% 58.4% 20.8%
  1965 25 69 25 1 120 20.8% 57.5% 20.8%
  1964 26 66 25 1 118 22.0% 55.9% 21.2%
  1963 25 57 25 1 108 23.1% 52.8% 23.1%
  1962 26 55 24 1 106 24.5% 51.9% 22.6%
  1961 29 53 22 1 105 27.6% 50.5% 21.0%
  1960 30 49 20 0 99 30.3% 49.5% 20.2%
  1959 29 46 21 0 96 30.2% 47.9% 21.9%
  1958 30 41 21 0 92 32.6% 44.6% 22.8%
  1957 34 37 21 0 92 37.0% 40.2% 22.8%
  1956 35 38 22 0 95 36.8% 40.0% 23.2%
  1955 35 38 20 0 93 37.6% 40.9% 21.5%
  1954 36 35 20 0 91 39.6% 38.5% 22.0%
  1953 37 32 20 0 89 41.6% 36.0% 22.5%

Notes:

1.    Pipelines - some data based on estimates
2.    Roads - From 2004 source data change - previous figures not directly comparable.
3.    Railways - From 1999  source data change - previous figures not directly comparable. Earlier years did not include GB Railfreight coal movements.
4.    Railways - From 1996  source data change - previous figures not directly comparable. Different methodology (probably due to sale by BR of freight businesses).
5.    Pipeline - After 1989 there is a source data change.
6.    Railways - figures depressed by miners' strike.
7.    Water - Figures for 1972 onwards are not directly comparable with earlier years. Prior to 1972 data relates to all GB coastwise traffic and internal traffic on BWB Waterways. Afterwards incorporates all UK coastwise and 'one port' traffic, with internal waterways.