The UK Department for Transport has published a report titled "Rail freight growth 2040 target" on 8 September 2026, announcing new national targets for rail freight growth to 2040.
The publication sets out fresh long term targets for the movement of freight by rail, the department said in the report's accompanying material. The announcement marks a formal statement of intent by the Government to measure performance against a new 2040 horizon.
The report itself carries the title cited by the Department for Transport and is dated 8 September 2026. It records that new targets for rail freight growth have been established for delivery by the year 2040.
Officials framed the document as guidance on the Government's objectives for rail freight over the coming years. The text of the report is the authoritative record for the targets announced and contains the Department's presentation of those objectives.
Industry participants and observers will be able to consult the report for the precise metrics and milestones the Department has chosen. The publication provides the basis on which public and private actors can judge progress to the 2040 date.
What the publication contains
The single clear factual purpose of the document is to announce new rail freight growth targets for 2040. The title and date identify the item as a Department for Transport statement of policy intent on rail freight measured to that year.
Readers seeking the detailed targets and any accompanying analysis will find them set out in the published report; the announcement itself flags the change in official expectations for rail freight volumes and outcomes up to 2040.
Immediate significance
The Department's release establishes a new reference point for policy and performance reporting. It will serve as the document against which future communications and monitoring exercises on rail freight growth are likely to be compared.
Stakeholders across freight and logistics sectors can use the report to align plans or to interrogate the Government's chosen measures. The report provides the formal targets and thus defines the terms for subsequent scrutiny and industry response.
The Department for Transport's report dated 8 September 2026 is the primary record of the new 2040 targets. Those who need the exact figures, timelines or the Department's explanatory material should consult the published text for full detail.
The announcement closes a discrete chapter of official communications by setting a clear 2040 target date in departmental prose. It will now sit alongside other Government publications as the stated national benchmark for rail freight growth to 2040.