The line graph illustrates the quantities of goods transported in the UK by four different modes of transport between 1974 and 2002.
Overall, road transport carried the largest quantity of goods throughout the period, while pipeline transport accounted for the smallest amount. In addition, water transport remained relatively stable for many years, whereas rail transport fluctuated slightly before ending at a level similar to its starting point.
In 1974, approximately 70 million tonnes of goods were transported by road, while the figure for pipeline transport was only 5 million tonnes. The amount of goods transported by pipeline increased dramatically to around 25 million tonnes in 1982 and then remained stable at approximately 20 million tonnes from 1994 onwards. By contrast, road transport experienced a slight decline in the early 1980s before rising steadily to reach a peak of about 95 million tonnes in 2002.
Rail transport stood at around 40 million tonnes in 1974 before falling to approximately 30 million tonnes in 1986. After that, it fluctuated moderately and eventually recovered to about 40 million tonnes by the end of the period. Meanwhile, water transport began at roughly 38 million tonnes and increased significantly to around 55 million tonnes in 1982. It then remained almost unchanged until 1994, after which it dipped slightly before climbing sharply to approximately 65 million tonnes in 2002