The line graph compares the quantity of goods transported in the United Kingdom between the time period of 1974 and 2002 via road, rail, water and pipeline. It is clear from the graph that, commodities transported by road, water and pipeline have followed an upward trend while the quantity transported by railways have almost remained constant at 40 million tonnes.
According to the data provided, the largest quantity of goods were transported in 1974 and 2002 by road (70 million tonnes and 98 million tonnes respectively) making roadways the most popular method for transporting goods. In the year 1978, the amount of goods that were transported through rail and water were equal. Goods shipped via water saw an exponential growth until 1982 after which it plateaued at 60 million tonnes over a period of two decades before rising again gradually. On the other hand, railway figures' remained constant at over 40 million tonnes till 2002 with slight variations from time to time.
The amount of commodities transported via pipeline displayed an interesting pattern. In the year 1994, when all the modes of transportation showed a decrease, pipeline made an exception and peaked that year and remained constant till 2002.
To sum it up, roadways remains the most popular mode of transportation while the popularity of pipeline is increasing steadily.
