The line graph illustrates the amount of goods transported in the UK from 1974 to 2002 using four different modes of transport: road, water, rail, and pipeline, measured in million tonnes.
Overall, road transport consistently carried the largest quantity of goods throughout the period and showed a clear upward trend. By contrast, pipeline transport accounted for the smallest volume and remained relatively stable after an initial rise. Water transport increased steadily, while rail transport fluctuated and ended close to its starting point.
In 1974, around 70 million tonnes of goods were moved by road, compared with approximately 40 million tonnes by both water and rail. Pipeline transport was minimal at about 5 million tonnes. Although road transport experienced a slight decline in the early 1980s, it rose steadily thereafter, reaching just under 100 million tonnes by 2002.
Water transport showed continuous growth over the period, increasing from about 40 million tonnes to roughly 65 million tonnes by the end. Rail transport, however, declined from 40 million tonnes to around 30 million tonnes in the mid-1980s before recovering to approximately 42 million tonnes in 2002. Pipeline transport rose to just over 20 million tonnes by the early 1980s and then remained almost unchanged for the rest of the period.