Rail Crucial to Unlocking UK’s Economic Growth and achieving Net Zero Ambitions, New Research Reveals

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Latest research reveals the value of the railways to the UK economy, the environment and society currently exceeds £26bn in benefits delivered each year  


Boosting rail use by 40% by 2035 could see this value increase to £46bn, supporting economic growth and the net zero transition   


Data shows that rail customers are essential to local communities contributing £98bn annually with their spend while travelling 
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Latest research reveals the value of the railways to the UK economy, the environment and society currently exceeds £26bn in benefits delivered each year  


Boosting rail use by 40% by 2035 could see this value increase to £46bn, supporting economic growth and the net zero transition   


Data shows that rail customers are essential to local communities contributing £98bn annually with their spend while travelling 
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Latest research reveals the value of the railways to the UK economy, the environment and society currently exceeds £26bn in benefits delivered each year  


Boosting rail use by 40% by 2035 could see this value increase to £46bn, supporting economic growth and the net zero transition   


Data shows that rail customers are essential to local communities contributing £98bn annually with their spend while travelling 
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The industry also directly employs over 100,000 people across varying roles – from station staff and train drivers to underwater divers and seasons delivery managers.  </p> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong>Unlocking future growth potential</strong> </p> <p style="text-align: justify">Beyond its current contributions, the rail industry has significant potential for growth, further bolstering the UK economy. According to projections by the Railway Industry Association (RIA), rail travel is expected to grow by an average of 1.6% annually over the next three decades, driven by economic and population growth. This would be equivalent to a 20% increase in rail usage by 2035, potentially raising the industry’s contribution from £26bn to £35bn.   </p> <p>If rail usage was to increase by 40%, driven by improved services and a growing preference for rail as a sustainable mode of transport, the total value of the rail industry could soar to £46bn, adding £20bn on top of the existing £26bn contribution. This would significantly benefit the economic, environmental and social landscape across the UK.   <div class="gloo-img-embed"><img src="//cdn.prgloo.com/media/09bd8c11b9774abeb79fe7bd57c4c671?width=388&height=218" alt="FB-5132 Value of Rail infographics 1920x1080 V64" width="388" height="218" class="gloo-img-right"></div></p> <p style="text-align: justify">To make that possible and unlock the potential, it is important the rail industry continues to work together to bolster the attractiveness of rail to customers. Alongside future government investment in infrastructure, future growth also depends on action from the rail industry to improve day-to-day performance; to encourage modal shift through better integration with other modes of transport; make rail accessible to everyone; and continue to make improvements to the overall customer experience.    </p> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong>Supporting the transition to net zero </strong>  </p> <p style="text-align: justify">For every mile a person travels, passenger trains produce only around a fifth of the greenhouse gas emissions from the average petrol car. This latest research finds that a 40% growth in rail use is needed by 2035 to shift a minimum of four billion miles from car to train, to achieve the country’s net zero targets in line with the Committee on Climate Change (CCC)’s preferred pathway. A shift of this scale could result in a 1.8Mt decrease in greenhouse gas emissions per year – greater than all domestic aviation emissions in 2019.  </p> <p><div class="gloo-img-embed"><img src="//cdn.prgloo.com/media/b203abba770e49c5a5584706327a90e1?width=388&height=218" alt="FB-5132 Value of Rail infographics 1920x1080 2" width="388" height="218"></div></p> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong>Enhancing social connectivity </strong> </p> <p style="text-align: justify">The rail network also plays a vital role in connecting people and communities across the UK. It enables almost two-thirds (64%) of people aged 16-30 and 55% of people over 30 to travel more independently, providing crucial access to jobs, education, and leisure opportunities, particularly in rural areas. Continuing to make rail more accessible will help to reduce social exclusion, improve quality of life and could result in increased rail travel, which will further unlock the network's social value benefits. </p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong>Jacqueline Starr, CEO of Rail Delivery Group</strong> <strong>said</strong>: “The UK’s rail network does more than simply transport us from A to B; it plays a crucial role in driving economic growth by connecting businesses and communities, improving productivity, and supporting the transition to net zero.   </p> <p style="text-align: justify">“The creation of Great British Railways is an opportunity for the rail industry to come together and make the improvements that are needed to attract more people to rail, unlocking even greater value for the economy, environment, and wider society.  </p> <p style="text-align: justify">“Rail can and must be the backbone of the country’s future growth and environmental ambitions."   </p> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong>A spokesperson for UKHospitality said:</strong> “This insightful report reinforces what we know about the importance of train travel for hospitality and tourism. Trains help bring our customers – domestic and international and our employees to our doors, so we can deliver great experiences and boost economic growth. </p> <p style="text-align: justify">“We are looking forward to working with the rail industry to further grow the opportunities to reach all parts of our nation and spread the benefits of the hospitality sector.” </p> </blockquote> </div> </div> </section> <section class="card"> <div class="card__body card__body--large"> <h2 class="sub-header">Contact Information</h2> <div class="contact-card"> <h3 class="contact-card__title">Rail Delivery Group Media Team</h3> <p class="contact-card__text"> <a href="mailto:media@raildeliverygroup.com">media@raildeliverygroup.com</a> </p> </div> </div> </section> <section class="card"> <div class="card__body card__body--large"> <h2 class="sub-header">Notes to editors</h2> <div> <ul> <li style="text-align: justify">The full report “Beyond the tracks: Rail's contribution to the UK” is available <a href="https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/uk-rail-industry/value-of-rail.html">here</a>. </li> </ul> <ul style="text-align: justify"> <li>The £26bn value of rail is made up of:    <ul> <li><strong>The total benefits to passengers are worth £14bn</strong> <strong>each year</strong> – these are the benefits that flow to the people that use the railways to commute to jobs, to travel to see friends and family, to get to shops and restaurants, to go on holiday, to get to places of education and a wide range of other purposes.  </li> <li><strong>The total value of decreased congestion is worth £8bn each year – </strong>this includes the benefits to people and businesses from reduced congestion on the roads, e.g. lorries suffering fewer delays when moving goods or tradespeople being able to do more jobs in a day due to lower congestion.  </li> <li>The <strong>additional £4bn annual benefits</strong> included here reflect the value of decreased emissions and the wider economic impacts of rail not captured in the totals above, such as the role it plays in enabling the clustering of businesses and services together, which supports efficiency, productivity and knowledge-sharing. </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul style="text-align: justify"> <li>Almost three quarters of customers (73%) see their local station as important to helping the local economy and businesses to thrive.  </li> </ul> <ul style="text-align: justify"> <li>Customers report an average spend of £80 per complete journey. Based on the 1.23bn passenger journeys undertaken in 2023, rail customers could contribute £98bn annually to local economies as part of their journey. </li> </ul> <ul style="text-align: justify"> <li>WPI Economics were commissioned to carry out a study of the economic, social and environmental benefits of rail by Rail Delivery Group. This included a representative sample of 5,007 people within the UK who had travelled by rail within the last month. This sample was boosted by a further 2,017 people whose last rail journey was from one of 20 selected cities and 1,007 people whose last rail journey was from one of the 20 selected towns. The survey was in field from 09.04.24 - 13.05.24. </li> </ul> <ul> <li style="text-align: justify">Latest report on the value of Community Rail report can be found <a href="https://communityrail.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/VoCR-report-24-FINAL-FOR-WEB.pdf">here</a>.  </li> </ul> </div> </div> </section> </article> <aside class="grid grid--resources" role="region" aria-label="Rail Crucial to Unlocking UK’s Economic Growth and achieving Net Zero Ambitions, New Research Reveals attachments"> <div class="card"> <div class="card__thumbnail"> <img class="card__thumbnail-image" src="https://cdn.prgloo.com/media/000e96e6243d4459a5346e4227c70063.jpg?width=442&height=663" alt="53057987623 df53aeb764 o cropped-4"> </div> <div class="card__body"> <h2 class="card__title card__title--center"> <a class="card__link" href="/resources/api67-bm37e-mpb4w-jbtrd-yftti">53057987623 df53aeb764 o cropped-4</a> </h2> <div class="card__toolbar"> <button class="card__action button" onclick="document.location='https://cdn.prgloo.com/media/download/000e96e6243d4459a5346e4227c70063'" aria-label="Download 53057987623 df53aeb764 o_cropped.jpg">Download</button> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card__thumbnail"> <img class="card__thumbnail-image" src="https://cdn.prgloo.com/media/09bd8c11b9774abeb79fe7bd57c4c671.png?width=442&height=663" alt="FB-5132 Value of Rail infographics 1920x1080 V64"> </div> <div class="card__body"> <h2 class="card__title card__title--center"> <a class="card__link" href="/resources/fb-5132-value-of-rail-infographics-1920x1080-v64">FB-5132 Value of Rail infographics 1920x1080 V64</a> </h2> <div class="card__toolbar"> <button class="card__action button" onclick="document.location='https://cdn.prgloo.com/media/download/09bd8c11b9774abeb79fe7bd57c4c671'" aria-label="Download FB-5132 Value of Rail infographics 1920x1080 V64.png">Download</button> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card__thumbnail"> <img class="card__thumbnail-image" src="https://cdn.prgloo.com/media/b203abba770e49c5a5584706327a90e1.png?width=442&height=663" alt="FB-5132 Value of Rail infographics 1920x1080 2"> </div> <div class="card__body"> <h2 class="card__title card__title--center"> <a class="card__link" href="/resources/fb-5132-value-of-rail-infographics-1920x1080-2">FB-5132 Value of Rail infographics 1920x1080 2</a> </h2> <div class="card__toolbar"> <button class="card__action button" onclick="document.location='https://cdn.prgloo.com/media/download/b203abba770e49c5a5584706327a90e1'" aria-label="Download FB-5132 Value of Rail infographics 1920x1080_2.png">Download</button> </div> </div> </div> </aside> </div> </main> <footer class="footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="wrapper"> <div class="footer__grid footer__grid--v"> <div class="widget-link"> <a href="https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/privacy-notice.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Privacy Policy">Privacy Policy</a> </div> <div class="widget-link"> <a href="https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/accessibility-statement.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Accessibility">Accessibility</a> </div> <div class="footer__social social-links"> <ul class="social-links__list"> <li class="social-links__item twitter"> <a class="social-links__link" href="https://x.com/raildeliverygrp" target="gloo" title="Twitter" aria-label="Twitter"> <span class="social-links__icon icon-twitter"></span> <span class="social-links__title">Twitter</span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="footer__meta"> <p class="footer__cookiesettings"><a class="ccb__edit" href="#cc_target">Cookie Settings</a></p> <p class="footer__copyright">© 2024 Rail Delivery Group</p> <p class="footer__gloo">Powered by <a href="https://onclusive.com/what-we-do/pr-comms-tools/">Onclusive PR Manager</a>™</p> </div> </div> </div> </footer> <script src="/Content/Gloo/js?v=PBdeyRJo_62HKCRHd8XrAslyv71LWP3cvl77Rg4FA4c1"></script> <script src="/Content/Shared/slick.min.js"></script> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div> </body> </html>

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