The railways were originally built for cargo: horses pulling coal-laden wooden wagons.
Today, as we mark the bicentenary of the modern railway, rail freight contributes £2.45 billion to the UK economy every year, removing 5.35 million lorries from our congested roads and reducing CO2 emissions.
Every day, freight trains carry materials to build our homes, repair our roads, feed us, keep the nation’s lights on, as well as delivering many other benefits to households and industries.
The railway is one of Britain’s most transformative exports. Across the world long freight trains snake through vast landscapes, connecting communities and commerce, and help to power global economies.
Here,
@RailFreight Group’s CEO Tim Shoveller explains the crucial, but sometimes unnoticed, role of rail freight in our lives: