Britain’s economic growth is being held back by the government’s slow progress on identifying a national logistics network, according to Logistics UK, which warns that delays are worsening congestion costs and hindering the sector’s ability to decarbonise.
The business group has published a new UK Logistics Network – Progress Tracker reviewing government activity since its influential 2024 report, which mapped the country’s most critical freight corridors. Of the 10 recommendations made last year, the group says the government has made “substantial progress” on only one: setting up the new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA).
The original report identified a series of interconnected transport corridors across road, rail, air and maritime routes, highlighting how the country’s supply chains rely heavily on a relatively small number of strategic links. Logistics UK argues that a formal, nationwide logistics network remains essential if the UK is to improve efficiency and unlock economic potential.
Jonathan Walker, the organisation’s Head of Infrastructure and Planning Policy, said the moment for discussion had passed. He noted that while ministers now accept the need to better understand the freight system, “urgent action is needed” to translate that into delivery. He said that formally identifying key corridors would give government and industry a shared view of what requires protection and improvement, enabling coordinated planning and investment.
The new tracker report acknowledges some steps forward over the past year, including the publication of the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, the launch of NISTA, and progress on major projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing. But Walker warned that these advances are far outweighed by persistent constraints.
Congestion, chronic under-investment and disjointed planning continue to hold the economy back, he said. Logistics UK notes that between 2015 and 2024 the annual congestion cost for HGVs on the Strategic Road Network rose by more than £930 million, eroding UK productivity. The group also stresses that achieving net-zero in freight will require major upgrades to energy infrastructure, which cannot be planned effectively without clarity on where key logistics hubs will sit.
Walker said the government must adopt the network mapping set out in the 2024 report and embed it into the forthcoming Freight Plan, adding that the UK will struggle to meet either economic or environmental ambitions without a united view of its essential transport corridors.