Functional Priorities
Freight growth on the rail network will be enabled through better use of existing and new capabilities of freight assets, and improved whole system thinking with freight at its heart.
Rail freight makes a major contribution to the UK economy, providing an efficient and green way of moving goods around the country and alleviating congestion on the roads. Rail freight is already contributing £2.45bn to the UK economy. Meeting the long-term rail freight growth target of at least 75% by 2050 will deliver even greater economic and environmental benefits.
The functional priority routemaps highlight the steps needed in the next few years to ensure that new technical solutions can underpin progress towards the key goals. You can explore the latest version of the routemap below.
Select the routemap, then hover over the image to zoom in / out.
Case studies help the railway to celebrate and publicise its achievements and learn lessons in introducing new solutions. Explore the stories below and share yours at rts@rssb.co.uk.
Who is doing what?
Many research and innovation activities support progress towards the goals set out for this priority. Visibility of these is essential to enable greater collaboration and increase the likelihood of success. This is why the RTS puts a spotlight on a selection of these activities, enables you to download the full list of activities of which we are aware, and invites you to add to this picture by sharing your own work.
Share what you are working on
Help keep the industry up to date with progress by sharing your research and innovation activities that are relevant to this priority.