4.000 billion net tonne kilometres of freight was moved in July to September this year, a decrease of 6.4 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
The report says freight rail usage and performance levels have been affected by the railway industry strikes in July and August. The proportion of freight trains arriving within 15 minutes, as measured by the Freight Delivery Metric, was 84.9 per cent. This is the lowest level of freight performance since the time series began in 2013.
Among the key results includes:
- Total freight moved was 4.00 billion net tonne kilometres in July to September 2022, a decrease of 6.4% compared with July to September 2021.
- Total freight lifted was 18.7 million tonnes in July to September 2022.
- Freight train kilometres were 8.14 million kilometres in July to September 2022.
- The proportion of freight trains arriving within 15 minutes, as measured by the Freight Delivery Metric, was 84.9%.
Responding to the freight usage and performance statistics, Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners, said: “Despite the positive news this week that rail freight is attracting global companies like Coca-Cola to move millions of its soft drinks daily by rail, these latest statistics underline the negative impact industrial action is having on rail freight demand, despite not directly involving the freight companies.
“Some customers are already losing confidence due to the disruption and switching from rail to road. There is a very real risk that if resolution is not achieved quickly, more customers will choose less environmentally sustainable modes in the long term. This not only puts the potential growth of the sector at risk, but it also undermines the ability of rail freight to contribute to wider economic growth and support the achievement of net zero targets.”
Click here to read the full report.
Photo credit: Rail Partners
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