Network
UK rail freight grew by a modest 4% in the last quarter of 2023, compared with the corresponding three-month period in 2022.
Total freight moved in the quarter was 3.85 billion net tonne kilometres (ntk).
Intermodal traffic (containers) to and from ports remains the biggest commodity, despite having its worst year since 2013 because of problems with worldwide shipping. It still accounts for a third of the total national business.
Coal has nearly fallen off the end of the scale. From representing half the railways’ total freight 50 years ago, it is now far less significant than domestic waste, at just 0.03 billion ntk.
This is because production has ended at the UK’s last coal mine at Cwmbargoed in South Wales, and there is no need to stockpile winter imports for Ratcliffe, West Burton and Drax power stations.
The largest growth areas appear to be domestic intermodal (up 72% to 0.32 billion ntk) and construction (up 11% to 1.21 billion ntk, thanks to HS2 and board manufacture).
Biomass is also gaining a foothold with a 30% uplift thanks to extra activity at Drax.
Metals traffic is suffering because of the fall in demand for ore at Scunthorpe, while a 6% growth in oil and pet
