UK rail and road freight
How goods move across the UK, quarterly: rail freight moved and lifted by commodity — coal, construction materials, intermodal containers (Office of Rail and Road) — and road freight in tonne-kilometres and tonnes lifted, by GB and Northern Ireland registered lorries, with the loaded and empty distance they run (Department for Transport).
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | Q4-2023 | Q3-2023 | Q2-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rail freight (Office of Rail and Road)2 | ||||||||||||||
| Freight moved13 | ||||||||||||||
| All commodities | 4,135.44 | 4,012.98 | 3,845.22 | 4,105.95 | 4,091.34 | 4,144.95 | 4,064.15 | 4,194.87 | 4,177.07 | 3,872.14 | 3,841.25 | 4,101.25 | 3,914.52 | |
| Coal | 11.4 | 9.28 | 8.23 | 10.75 | 10.11 | 14.32 | 7.24 | 10.22 | 20.62 | 11.74 | 33.13 | 15.05 | 20.56 | |
| Construction | 1,441.42 | 1,282.94 | 1,158.83 | 1,266.74 | 1,374.25 | 1,341.3 | 1,332.18 | 1,407.99 | 1,399.65 | 1,270.76 | 1,215.54 | 1,447.81 | 1,398.64 | |
| Metals | 261.45 | 277.34 | 253.25 | 269.19 | 269.74 | 279.45 | 241.85 | 243.57 | 281.87 | 262.88 | 239.52 | 269.02 | 290.88 | |
| Oil and petroleum | 95.39 | 99.17 | 101.41 | 145.47 | 189.09 | 184.37 | 199.04 | 212.26 | 202.71 | 194.26 | 201.97 | 208.02 | 195.42 | |
| Maritime intermodal | 1,631.49 | 1,606.14 | 1,571.74 | 1,671.86 | 1,536.12 | 1,605.67 | 1,574.4 | 1,601.05 | 1,551.69 | 1,413.58 | 1,446.86 | 1,538.11 | 1,417.51 | |
| Biomass | 264.77 | 296.23 | 318.11 | 286.14 | 270.45 | 282.04 | 309.1 | 272.1 | 283.88 | 273.79 | 280.35 | 185.83 | 146.05 | |
| Industrial minerals | 59.5 | 62.77 | 66.75 | 72.31 | 73.66 | 59.99 | 53.67 | 73.96 | 80.02 | 79.3 | 78.84 | 78.58 | 79.55 | |
| International | 44.55 | 40.48 | 37.11 | 40.36 | 39.97 | 51.24 | 40.88 | 47.66 | 55.03 | 47.41 | 48.74 | 59.89 | 61.18 | |
| Domestic waste | 82.56 | 104.31 | 97.57 | 103.63 | 87.97 | 102.11 | 87.9 | 108.7 | 90.07 | 108.61 | 86.23 | 94.84 | 105.75 | |
| Other | 13.35 | 21.77 | 15.3 | 18.82 | 17.52 | 18.62 | 17.78 | 20.24 | 19.6 | 37.85 | 34.13 | 26.62 | 20.28 | |
| Non-maritime intermodal | 229.57 | 212.55 | 216.91 | 220.68 | 222.46 | 205.83 | 200.1 | 197.12 | 191.93 | 171.96 | 175.93 | 177.49 | 178.7 | |
| Infrastructure | 222.77 | 232.3 | 301.15 | 182.23 | 224.52 | 256.62 | 308.23 | 221.76 | 240.22 | 249.89 | 303.68 | 258.51 | 267.13 | |
| Freight lifted3 | ||||||||||||||
| All commodities, tonnes lifted | 17.55 | 16.94 | 16.94 | 17.87 | 17.78 | 18.24 | 18.02 | 18.62 | 18.6 | 17.09 | 17.18 | 17.51 | 17.38 | |
| Coal, tonnes lifted | 1.06 | 1.13 | 1.34 | 1.16 | 1.06 | 1.11 | 1.14 | 0.95 | 1.11 | 1.19 | 1.24 | 0.93 | 0.94 | |
| Other, tonnes lifted | 16.49 | 15.81 | 15.6 | 16.7 | 16.71 | 17.13 | 16.87 | 17.68 | 17.49 | 15.9 | 15.94 | 16.58 | 16.44 | |
| Road freight (DfT)3 | ||||||||||||||
| Goods moved9 | ||||||||||||||
| Goods moved | 41.7 | 40.8 | 40.4 | 41.4 | 38.9 | 42.8 | 41.7 | 42 | 41.7 | 39.5 | 44.2 | 43.8 | ||
| Goods moved, all UK activity | 43.3 | 42.2 | 41.7 | 43.2 | 40.2 | 44.2 | 43.4 | 43.5 | 43.4 | 40.7 | 45.3 | 45.4 | ||
| Goods moved within GB by GB vehicles | 41.5 | 40.7 | 40.1 | 41.3 | 38.8 | 42.7 | 41.6 | 41.9 | 41.6 | 39.3 | 44 | 43.6 | ||
| Goods moved within NI by NI vehicles | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | ||
| Goods moved by GB-registered vehicles | 41.7 | 40.8 | 40.4 | 41.4 | 38.9 | 42.8 | 41.7 | 42 | 41.7 | 39.5 | 44.2 | 43.8 | ||
| Goods moved by NI-registered vehicles | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.6 | ||
| Goods moved within GB by NI vehicles | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | ||
| Goods moved within NI by GB vehicles | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |||||
| Goods moved between GB and NI by NI vehicles | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | ||
| Goods lifted7 | ||||||||||||||
| Goods lifted | 386.5 | 376.7 | 387.2 | 408.3 | 359.7 | 408.3 | 400.2 | 387.7 | 389.7 | 360 | 411.2 | 407.2 | ||
| Goods lifted, all UK activity | 401.7 | 392.7 | 401.5 | 430.1 | 374.7 | 423.8 | 414.6 | 402.3 | 404.3 | 372.2 | 422.9 | 422.5 | ||
| Goods lifted within GB by GB vehicles | 383.1 | 375.6 | 385.9 | 407 | 358.8 | 406.2 | 398.3 | 387.1 | 389.4 | 357.9 | 409.6 | 405.9 | ||
| Goods lifted within NI by NI vehicles | 11.1 | 12.5 | 11.5 | 16.9 | 11.9 | 11.7 | 9.6 | 10.7 | 11 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 11.8 | ||
| Goods lifted within GB by NI vehicles | 3.4 | 3 | 2.6 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3 | 3 | 2.7 | 2.9 | ||
| Goods lifted within NI by GB vehicles | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1 | ||
| Goods lifted between GB and NI by NI vehicles | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | ||
| Vehicle distance6 | ||||||||||||||
| Vehicle distance travelled | 4,547.6 | 4,564.3 | 4,921.5 | 4,942 | 4,547.1 | 4,831.4 | 4,884.2 | 4,851 | 4,825.8 | 4,482.9 | 5,123.9 | 4,941.2 | ||
| Loaded distance by vehicle type3 | ||||||||||||||
| All vehicles | 3,253 | 3,328 | 3,325 | 3,356 | 3,069 | 3,266 | 3,299 | 3,314 | 3,258 | 3,050 | 3,418 | 3,349 | ||
| Rigid vehicles | 1,359 | 1,311 | 1,403 | 1,394 | 1,285 | 1,355 | 1,427 | 1,353 | 1,331 | 1,219 | 1,410 | 1,413 | ||
| Articulated vehicles | 1,894 | 2,017 | 1,922 | 1,962 | 1,783 | 1,911 | 1,872 | 1,960 | 1,928 | 1,831 | 2,008 | 1,935 | ||
| Empty running by vehicle type3 | ||||||||||||||
| All vehicles | 1,295 | 1,237 | 1,597 | 1,585 | 1,479 | 1,418 | 1,437 | 1,389 | 1,421 | 1,296 | 1,550 | 1,442 | ||
| Rigid vehicles | 535 | 492 | 654 | 687 | 625 | 572 | 584 | 550 | 589 | 501 | 632 | 585 | ||
| Articulated vehicles | 760 | 745 | 943 | 898 | 854 | 846 | 853 | 839 | 832 | 795 | 918 | 857 | ||
| All distance by vehicle type1 | ||||||||||||||
| All vehicles | 4,548 | 4,564 | 4,922 | 4,942 | 4,547 | 4,684 | 4,736 | 4,703 | 4,679 | 4,346 | 4,968 | 4,791 | ||
| Loaded share of vehicle distance | 72 | 73 | 68 | 68 | 67 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 69 | 70 | ||
| Empty running share of vehicle distance | 28 | 27 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 |
Latest reading
All commodities stood at 4,135.44 in Q2 2026. That is +3.1% from Q1 2026 and +1.1% from a year earlier. The series on this page is quarterly and runs from Q2 1998 to Q2 2026. Source: Office of Rail and Road; GOV.UK official statistics.
- Latest
- 4,135.44
- Q2 2026
- vs previous period
- +3.1%
- Q1 2026
- vs a year earlier
- +1.1%
About this data
How goods move across the UK, quarterly: rail freight moved and lifted by commodity — coal, construction materials, intermodal containers (Office of Rail and Road) — and road freight in tonne-kilometres and tonnes lifted, by GB and Northern Ireland registered lorries, with the loaded and empty distance they run (Department for Transport).
Frequently asked questions
- What do the UK rail and road freight statistics measure?
- This table measures freight transport activity across the United Kingdom, specifically tonnes lifted and net tonne-kilometres moved across domestic rail networks and by heavy goods vehicles.
- Which commodities are tracked in UK rail freight?
- Rail freight is broken down by commodity groups including coal, construction materials, metals, oil and petroleum, maritime intermodal, biomass, industrial minerals, domestic waste, and infrastructure.
- How is road freight activity split between Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Road freight is categorised by vehicle registration, tracking activity within Great Britain, within Northern Ireland, and goods moved between Great Britain and Northern Ireland by registered vehicles.
- What is the frequency and time coverage of this freight table?
- The series are published quarterly by the Office of Rail and Road and the Department for Transport, with historical records extending back to 1996.
