UK Sets 40% Rail Freight Growth Target for 2040, First Milestone Toward 2050 Goal

The UK government has set a new interim target for rail freight to grow by at least 40% by 2040, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the House of Commons on September 8 — the first milestone toward the existing goal of a 75% increase by 2050.

The target breaks down by commodity: high-value goods are expected to grow 65%, construction goods 45%, and critical goods 7% by 2040, measured in net tonne kilometres. The government says rail freight already carries goods worth close to £34 billion a year, a figure it expects to rise by around £15 billion if the target is met, while shifting that volume off roads could save up to a million tonnes of CO2 annually.

The announcement was timed to coincide with the Railways Bill — the legislation creating Great British Railways — entering committee stage in the House of Lords the same day. The Bill gives GBR strategic oversight of network access and two explicit duties to support freight growth, plus a board member with dedicated responsibility for freight.

"Great British Railways will have a clear mission to help grow our economy by moving more of the goods British businesses rely on," Alexander said. "Our new target gives the rail freight industry the certainty it needs to invest, helping businesses move more products, deliver the materials needed to build new homes and infrastructure and support jobs across the country." Network Rail chief executive Jeremy Westlake said the operator "fully support[s] the government's target," while Rail Freight Group director general Maggie Simpson called it "a further signal of government's commitment to growing rail freight."