a What is the current division of the inland movement of
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freight in the UK between various forms of transport? Can any trends be deduced as to future developments?
AAccurate up-to-date figures of transport
operation on a national scale covering the points you raise are not available. A road goods survey is being undertaken for 1967/68 by the Ministry of Transport. But, until those results are available, use has to be made of the 1962 survey figures up-dated by reference to changes in the goods vehicle fleet, estimated goods vehicle mileage and industrial output.
These up-dated figures show that most freight goes by road--82 per cent in terms of tonnage and over 60 per cent on a ton-mile basis. The corresponding figures by rail are 12 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.
It is estimated that the average length of haul of goods by road is 30 miles, with 70 per cent of the 1,450m tons carried by road in 1966 being for less than 25 miles and only 7 per cent more than 100 miles.
The average length of a railway haul is 70 miles and significantly only 20 per cent is over 100 miles. This brings into perspective the potential for Freightliner Services. Even allowing for the influence of mineral traffic, the surprisingly high figure of 45 per cent of goods sent by rail is carried less than 25 miles.
As to future development, and assuming a national growth rate of 3 per cent, the demand for transport is expected to increase from 40,000m ton-miles in 1966 to 52,000m in 1975, excluding bulk fuel and steel traffic. Road transport ton-mileage is expected to increase during this period by nearly 8,000m or nearly 20 per cent, and its share of total ton-miles is expected to rise to 65 per cent.
Even on hauls over 100 miles by road, ton-mileage in 1975 is expected to be 5,000m higher than in 1966. In other words the transfer from road to rail envisaged in this mileage range would be rather more than offset by growth in the remaining road traffic.