Some basic UK rail statistics
UK Freight Volumes, rail and other modes.
Basic UK Rail Freight Volume carried (Tonne-kilometres) and comparisons with other modes
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 passenger-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).
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008-9 | 21 | 163 | 50 | 10 | 244 | 8.6% | 66.8% | 20.5% |
| 2007-8 | 21 | 173 | 51 | 10 | 255 | 8.2% | 67.8% | 20.0% | |
| 2006-7 | 22 | 167 | 52 | 11 | 252 | 8.7% | 66.3% | 20.6% | |
| 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.
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