§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the levels of freight carried by rail since 1997; what plans he has to increase it; and if he will make a statement. [123052]
§ Mr. McNultyThe amount of freight moved by rail has grown by 24 per cent. since 1997. The Strategic Rail Authority published in May 2003 its first "Freight Progress Report", explaining the achievements to date in increasing rail's share of freight traffic and the Authority's plans for achieving the growth envisaged by the Government's 10 Year Plan for Transport. Copies of the SRA report are available in the Library of the House.