Rail freight
Proud to power Freight Britain
With partners across the sector, we’re working harder than ever to deliver better, faster, stronger services to support Britain’s economy and the decarbonisation of transport and supply chains.
Rail freight contributes £2.45bn to the UK economy each year1
Positioned at the heart of the rail freight industry, we’re one of the leading authorities on freight. Rail freight is growing and evolving, fast. Businesses are making the switch from road (and air) to rail to keep their supply chains moving forward, sustainably and efficiently.
For many, the occasional glimpse of a freight train at a railway crossing is the only time they see rail freight. Yet it impacts on our lives in more ways than we realise. So, we’d like to tell you the full story behind Britain’s rail freight and our role within it.
More freight is carried on rail than you think
In the year ending Thursday 31 March 2022, 78 million tonnes of freight was carried on Britain’s railway. This amounts to goods worth about £30bn1. To see the monthly figures, visit the ORR’s rail freight usage page.
Rail freight is consistently reliable
The 2021/2022 Outturns for both Arrivals to Fifteen (A2F). and Freight Delivery Metric (FDM) were consistently high:
- FDM – 93.5 per cent
- A2F – 85.9 per cent
Rail freight contributes to the national – and local – economy
The total economic and social benefits of rail freight are valued at £2.45bn every year2. Unlike many sectors that are concentrated in the southeast of the country, rail freight brings significant value for areas in the north of England, Scotland and Wales – where the railway has some of its busiest sections and is home to the headquarters of many freight operators.
Did you know?
A single freight train can replace up to a mile of lorries on a stretch of motorway.More freight is carried on rail than you think
Safe – and always looking to improve
Britain’s rail freight industry is regarded as one of the safest in the world. We know that improvements can always be made, and in recent years, we have invested more than £20m in improving the safety of the freight on the railway. We’ve also been working hard to prevent trespassers accessing the railway – securing our own infrastructure and advising the freight industry on protecting theirs.
The Rail Safety and Standards Board has recently stated that a train journey is more than 20 times safer than travelling the same distance by car. These findings support the safety argument for carrying goods by rail, where the number of incidents is a fraction of those caused by lorries.
Regulated by the ORR
The Office of Road and Rail (ORR) regulates the rail industry. It is a non-ministerial government department, which means it has a degree of independence in its work and decision-making.
Funding, investment and decision-making
The Department for Transport (DfT) is the ultimate decision-maker on funding for the railway. We receives funding from DfT, Transport Scotland and other public bodies. We liaise with the rail freight industry and other stakeholders in deciding where to invest these funds. The private sector also invests in the infrastructure, contributing over £2bn since the 1990s.
Our role in the rail freight sector
We’re here to help rail freight flow and grow. This means managing and improving the infrastructure (the track, bridges, tunnels and viaducts) and keeping the railway running efficiently, safely and delivering value for our customers. Our freight team works closely with FOCs and other operators on the railway to make sure that freight runs harmoniously with passenger services, and we work hard to balance their needs.
A greener future with rail freight
To hit national decarbonisation targets and achieve net-zero, we must all invest in rail freight. That’s why the government is backing the shift of freight from road to rail – even offering funding for businesses to make the switch through Mode Shift grants2.
It’s been well publicised that each freight train removes 76 lorries from our roads. This could result in around 1 billion fewer Heavy Good Vehicles (HGV) miles every year3.
But it’s not a case of road vs rail
The greenest supply chains use the best transport option for each stage. On land, rail is the most sustainable option for doing more of the long distance, heavy lifting, while lorries and vans – ideally, electric vehicles – are best placed to cover the last mile (or even the last 10 or 20 miles).
Recommended pages
Freight performance
Rail freight operates around the clock. Its circular flows pass through large areas of Britain, carrying essential imports and exports and supplying our most important industries.
- Deloitte (2021) “Assessing the Value of Rail Freight”, a report for the Rail Delivery Group.
- Department for transport delivers more grant funding to transport freight by rail
- Rail Freight Group: Why use rail freight?