Key points:
- The Department for Transport has published a transport resilience strategy for the next 5 to 10 years.
- It includes better risk assessment, a multi-year exercise programme and a new Transport Resilience Academy.
- 38% of roads and 37% of railways in England are in areas at current flood risk, rising to 46% and 54% by mid-century.
- The strategy cites the 2026 Middle East conflict as a factor affecting fuel supply and supply chains.
- A delivery plan is still to be published, with annual reports to Parliament.
Three objectives
The strategy, published on 2 November, applies the government’s wider Resilience Action Plan to transport. It has three objectives:
- to continuously assess how resilient the transport sector is, so that resources can be targeted,
- to enable the whole transport system, including its users, to increase resilience,
- to strengthen the government’s own transport resilience capabilities.
“Transport is vital to our way of life,” writes Keir Mather, Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, in the foreword.
What the government will do
The 66-page document lists a series of commitments. The Department for Transport will:
- standardise risk assessment, including risk registers covering different modes of transport,
- set up a red-teaming panel to test transport resilience,
- run a coordinated, multi-year exercise programme,
- develop transport resilience standards,
- formalise engagement with operators and bring operators, regulators and responders together to share assets during disruption,
- improve cyber security guidance for businesses.
A new Transport Resilience Academy will be piloted in a small number of areas with the highest transport risks. It will offer tailored training for operators and local partners and end with an exercise. A Transport Resilience Network will bring practitioners together to share lessons.
Risks for freight
The strategy refers to several recent events that affected freight. Storm Darragh in 2024 damaged the port of Holyhead and disrupted freight movement and supply chains. The government also notes that the conflict in the Middle East in 2026 has been “impacting fuel supply and the resilience of our supply chains”.
The document reminds readers that the Department for Transport has used “temporary relaxations of drivers’ hours rules in exceptional circumstances to help keep essential goods moving”.
Extreme weather is a growing threat. In England, 38% of roads and 37% of railways are in areas at current flood risk. By the middle of the century, this is projected to rise to 46% of roads and 54% of railways.
Cyber attacks are another concern. The government estimates that a systemic cyber incident on the rail network could cost around £1.8 billion in a single week. It says cyber resilience “must form an integral part” of business planning.
Money for roads
The strategy lists road funding already committed: £24 billion of capital for National Highways and local authorities between 2026-27 and 2029-30, almost £25 billion for the strategic road network between 2026 and 2031, and £7.3 billion for local road maintenance until 2030. According to the government, every £1 spent on local roads brings around £7 in benefits.
What it means for hauliers
For road transport operators, the strategy does not bring new rules or obligations yet. A delivery plan with more details is still to come, and progress will be reported to Parliament every year.
However, it signals closer cooperation between the government and transport companies during crises, from fuel supply problems to storms and cyberattacks. Hauliers should check whether their own business continuity plans cover these scenarios, especially on routes through vulnerable points such as Holyhead.
