Historic Transport Dataset

Updated: 12 Mar 2021

The Commission's Historic Transport Dataset provides select data on Britain's transport sector spanning back as far as 1870.

Published: 12 Mar 2021 Tagged: Transport

Summary

The Commission sought to improve its understanding of the long run development of the transport sector in Britain through the curation of a historical transport dataset.

The Commission asked Dr Oliver Dunn of the University of Cambridge to look for, and curate, transport statistics that have to-date not been made accessible online. Dr Dunn uncovered data on railways, tramways and light rail, roads, vehicles in use, and civil aviation, reaching as far back as 1870. The study of historical data can provide valuable insights into the how our use of transport and related infrastructure has changed over time and can provide context to current transport statistics. The data covers England, Scotland, Wales and, in some early cases, Ireland. We have included more recent data to extend the historic time series to current times, where consistent data is available. All data on these pages, and more, is available to download via the button at the bottom of this page.

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Railways

How has the use of railways changed over time?

Data showing how railway infrastructure and our use of railways has changed between 1872 and 2019.

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Roads

How has road length changed over time?

Data showing the change in Britain’s total road length between 1922 and 2019. The total road length is the sum of all trunk roads, class I roads, class II roads and unclassified roads.

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Vehicles in Use

How many vehicles are in use?

Data showing the number of road vehicles, light rail and tramcars that were in use between 1904 and 1964.

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Civil Aviation

How has civil aviation changed over time?

Data showing the evolution of civil aviation between 1919 – the start of civil aviation in the UK – and 1938, through the lens of British airlines.

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Railways

Data showing how railway infrastructure and our use of railways has changed between 1872 and 2019.

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Railway Length

How has the length of railways in Britain changed over time?

Pre 1937 source: Mitchell, B. R. British Historical Statistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. pp. 541-542, Mitchell sources: 1825-43 - H. G. Lewin, Early British Railways (London, 1925); 1844-1980 - Railway Returns; statistics relate to route length, irrespective of the number of tracks, at 31 December; narrow gauge lines are not included. Post 1937 source: Department for Transport, dataset RAI01.

Passenger Journeys

How have the number of rail journeys, taken by passengers in Great Britain, changed over time?

Pre 1937 source: Mitchell, B. R. British Historical Statistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. pp. 545-547, 1843-1938 Railway Returns, Transport Statistics Great Britain, and, Abstract, whichever provides the latest revisions. Post 1937 source: Department for Transport, dataset RAI01.

Vehicles in Use

Data showing the number of road vehicles, light rail and tram cars that were in use between 1904 and 1964.

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Private Cars, Goods Vehicles and Motorcycles

How has our use of vehicles changed over time?

Source: Mitchell, B. R. British Historical Statistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. Pp. 557-560. Vehicles: 1904-20 (except trams) - Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Taxation Motor Industry of Great Britain 1935 ; 1921-5 (except trams) - Return of Motor Taxation; 1926-38 (including trams from 1933) - Annual Vehicle Census 1904-32; - Annual Return of Tramway and Light Railway (Street and Road) Undertakings. Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) include Long Goods Vehicles (LGVs); other data sources are available, and the user should be aware of the inherent uncertainty in historic data, and of consistency between data sources.

Tramcars & Light Rail

How has the use of tramcars and light rail changed over time?

Source: Mitchell, B. R. British Historical Statistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. Pp. 557-560. (trams) - Annual Return of Tramway and Light Railway (Street and Road) undertakings.

Civil Aviation

Data showing the evolution of civil aviation between 1919 (the start of civil aviation in Britain) and 1938, through the lens of British airlines.

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Total Aircraft Miles

How has the number of miles flown by British airlines changed over time?

Source: Compiled from Returns furnished by the Air Ministry. The data refers to forerunners of British Airways, British private companies operating the first domestic and international passenger services. The data includes 'Internal, Continental and on the England-Malay States and Hong Kong, England - Africa, and Bermuda-New York Air Routes'. More detail on the make up of the data can be found in the spreadsheet available for download at the bottom of the page.

Number of Passengers Carried

How has the total number of passengers carried changed over time?

Source: Statistical Department, Board of Trade, Statistical Abstract for the United Kingdom. In each of the last fifteen years from 1910 to 1924. Vol. 69. London: HM Stationery Office, 1926. Print. Board of Trade (In conjunction with the Ministry of Labour and the Registrars-General), Statistical Abstract for the United Kingdom. In each of the last fifteen years from 1913 and 1922 to 1935. Vol. 83. London: HM Stationery Office, 1937. Print. Board of Trade (In conjunction with the Ministry of Labour and the Registrars-General), Statistical Abstract for the United Kingdom. In each of the last fifteen years from 1924 to 1938. Vol. 83. London: HM Stationery Office, 1940. Print.

Weight of Cargo Carried

How has the weight of cargo carried changed over time?