The line graph illustrates the amount of goods transported in the UK by four different modes of transport: road, water, rail, pipeline between 1974 and 2002.Overall, there were clear differences among the four modes of transport, with road transport being the most prominent and pipeline the least used across the period.
In 1974, road transport accounted for approximately 70 million tonnes of goods, making it the most widely used mode. This figure increased steadily over the period, reaching just over 100 million tonnes by 2002. Transport by water also showed an overall upward trend, despite some fluctuations. It rose from around 40 million tonnes in 1974 to about 65 million tonnes at the end of the period.
In contrast, rail transport experienced a general decline. Starting at roughly 40 million tonnes in 1974, the amount of goods carried by rail fell sharply during the early years before stabilising and slightly recovering to around the same level by 2002. Pipeline transport, although the least used throughout the period, increased gradually from about 5 million tonnes in 1974 to just over 20 million tonnes in the mid-1990s, after which it remained relatively stable.