Great British Railways sets course for rail freight growth
Government sets a new rail freight target to help businesses move more goods by rail, strengthen supply chains and support economic growth.
- government sets new target to increase rail freight by at least 40% by 2040, putting the industry on track for 75% growth by 2050
- Great British Railways will be tasked with growing rail freight by record amounts to back British businesses moving more goods and supporting economic growth
- meeting the target could mean around £15 billion more goods moved by rail each year
Today (8 September 2026), the government has unveiled its vision for Great British Railways to back British businesses, strengthen supply chains and drive economic growth, with a new target to increase rail freight by at least 40% by 2040.
The target is the first milestone towards the government’s ambition of increasing rail freight by at least 75% by 2050, giving industry the confidence to invest while ensuring Great British Railways plays a central role in delivering growth across the country.
Rail freight already carries goods worth almost £34 billion each year to the UK’s economy. Meeting the new target would increase this figure by around £15 billion, helping businesses move more products across Britain, strengthening supply chains and supporting growth.
A single freight train can carry enough materials to build around 30 homes. Network Rail estimates the new targets could increase rail freight of construction materials by 45% and boost the movement of goods like cars, wine, white goods and medicine by around two-thirds.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said:
Great British Railways will have a clear mission to help grow our economy by moving more of the goods British businesses rely on.
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.
Rail freight helps businesses move goods efficiently across Britain, eases pressure on the road network and produces significantly less carbon than moving the same freight by road. Meeting the new target could save up to one million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year compared with transporting the same goods by road.
The Railways Bill, which establishes Great British Railways, begins its committee stage in the House of Lords today. The bill will give Great British Railways the powers it needs to deliver on the new freight target, including strategic oversight of network access and 2 clear duties to support freight growth.
A dedicated member of the Great British Railways board will also have responsibility for freight, ensuring the needs of freight operators and the businesses they serve are embedded in decision-making from the outset.
These changes will help Great British Railways work more closely with freight operators to unlock additional capacity on the network, support investment, strengthen supply chains and help drive economic growth across Britain.
Jeremy Westlake, Network Rail’s Chief Executive, said:
Rail freight is a vital part of our transport network and the UK economy, moving millions of tonnes of goods every day – putting food on our supermarket shelves, delivering the materials that build our homes and critical infrastructure and much more besides.
Increasing the role of freight on the railway is not just good for economic growth; it reduces congestion on our roads, cuts carbon emissions and supports our ambition to build a cleaner, more resilient transport system. We fully support the government’s target, which sets a clear direction of travel and rightly demonstrates just how critical the role of rail freight is and we will continue to work with partners to make this ambition a reality.
Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General, Rail Freight Group said:
We welcome this announcement as a further signal of government’s commitment to growing rail freight.
There are huge opportunities for moving more goods by rail and the sector stands ready to fulfil government’s bold targets for growth, making an even stronger contribution to the nation’s productivity, development and resilience.
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