PACTS has published a new report examining the comparative safety risks of moving freight by road and rail in the UK.
Road vs Rail – A comparative study of the freight risk explores how greater use of rail freight could help reduce road deaths and serious injuries, while also supporting wider objectives to reduce congestion and carbon emissions.
The report introduces a new Rail Adapted Fatalities and Weighted Injuries (FWI) methodology to enable a more meaningful comparison of freight safety across the two modes. Using this approach, the analysis found that freight transported by rail has a risk level at least 78 times lower than freight moved by road, equivalent to a potential reduction in risk of more than 98% under the methodology developed for the study.
Alongside these safety benefits, the report highlights that a single freight train can remove between 75 and 129 HGV movements from the road network, helping to ease congestion while reducing transport emissions.
The report concludes that increasing the movement of freight by rail could:
- Reduce exposure to road risk, particularly from heavy goods vehicles.
- Support the Government’s ambition to increase rail freight.
- Help reduce congestion and carbon emissions.
- Support evidence-based decision-making on transport safety and freight policy.
The report also identifies the need for improved data collection and more consistent methods for comparing safety outcomes across different transport modes to support future policy and investment decisions.
