Quarterly figures

For the three-month period from January-March 2017 (Q4, 2016-17), 4.4 billion net tonne kilometres (ntkm) of freight was moved. This is the second lowest Q4 figure recorded since the start of the series in 1998-99, although it is an increase of 0.29 billion ntkm on Q4 2015-16.

Four of the seven commodities recorded an increase compared with the corresponding period last year. Metals rose 0.4 billion ntkm (20%), which ORR attributes to an increase in materials for Crossrail.

Construction rose 11% to 1.0 billion ntkm, partly due to an increase in the civil engineering sector, according to ORR.

Domestic intermodal rose 9% to 1.7 billion ntkm in Q4, while international rose 3% to 0.1 billion ntkm, as more rail freight traffic passed through Calais ferry terminal.

Coal recorded a 14% decline in Q4 to 0.39 billion ntkm, while oil and petroleum fell 11% to 0.3 billion ntkm, and the ‘other’ category decreased 3% to 0.5bn ntkm.

ORR put this down to the removal of the climate change levy exemption for renewable source electricity from power stations that use renewable source electricity. ORR said this means that generation of electricity from biomass (which is part of the ‘other’ sector) is not as financially attractive as it was, with fewer orders for freight companies.

Coal, oil and petroleum recorded the lowest Q4 figures for freight moved, while construction and domestic intermodal recorded the highest amount of Q4 freight moved since the start of the quarterly time series in Q1 199899.

ORR said that construction and domestic intermodal together accounted for more than 60% of the total freight moved in Q4.

There was a 5% increase in the amount of freight lifted in Q4 2016-17 compared with the corresponding period last year, with 20.4 million tonnes moved. However, this is still the second lowest Q4 since the start of the time series in 1996-97 (the lowest was 19.5 million tonnes last year).

Also, the 3.3 million tonnes of coal lifted during Q4 2016-17 was the lowest since the time series began, and a 7% decrease compared from the corresponding quarter last year.

The amount of other freight lifted was 17.1 million tonnes, an increase of 7% from Q4 2016-17.

There was a 3% increase in the total freight train kilometres in Q4 2016-17, a rise of 0.2 million km, compared with the same period last year. ORR said this was driven by DB Cargo, which accounts for more than half of the rise (54%). It also noted that a freight derailment at Lewisham ( RAIL 820) forced some freight operators to use longer diversionary routes - this partly explained the increase, with

DB affected the most.

DB and Freightliner Intermodal accounted for 70% of the freight train kilometres for the period.

Of the seven freight companies, GB Railfreight recorded a 7.3% growth in freight train kilometres for Q4 (to 1.38 million km), followed by Freightliner (up 4.2% to 2.16 million km) and Freightliner Heavy Haul (up 4.2% to 0.63 million km). DB also recorded an increase (up 3% to 3.84 million km).

DCRail recorded a 66.9% decrease to 0.01 million km, while Colas Railfreight recorded a 22.4% decrease to 0.17 million km, and Direct Rail Services an 11.0% decrease to 0.35 million km.