Publication of rail transport statistics

The latest edition of the NI Road and Rail Transport Statistics, containing statistics for July to September 2009 has been published.

The publication is produced by the Central Statistics and Research Branch (CSRB) of the Department for Regional Development and contains information on vehicle registrations, use of public transport, deliveries of petrol and diesel for use in Northern Ireland and driver and vehicle tests. The publication is available on the CSRB website

KEY POINTS

The key points for the quarter July to September 2009 are:

• There were 23,548 new and used cars registered for the first time during the quarter. Sixty four per cent (15,063) were new cars.
• The number of new and used cars registered for the first time during the quarter has increased by 14% since the corresponding quarter last year. This is the first quarter since October to December 2007 to show an increase when compared to the corresponding time period in the previous year.
• Ford was the most popular make of new car during July to September 2009, accounting for 12% (1,797) of all new cars registered. The second and third most popular makes of new car were Vauxhall (1,342) and Volkswagen (1,296), respectively.
• Of the 830 heavy goods vehicles registered for the first time in Northern Ireland, 69% (573) were previously used vehicles.
• There was a weekly average of 1.02million public bus passenger journeys made during the quarter, a decrease of 3% from 1.05million in the corresponding quarter of 2008. During the same time period, weekly average bus passenger receipts increased by 3% to £1.77million from £1.72million.
• The weekly average rail passenger journeys are the same as in the corresponding quarter of 2008 (0.19 million). During the same time period, weekly average rail passenger receipts increased by 8% to £0.57million from £0.53million.
• Over the period October 2008 to September 2009, the pass rate for car ‘L’ driver tests was 53% for males and 44% for females in Northern Ireland, compared to 49% for males and 42% for females in Great Britain.

Notes to editors:

1. Background to Road and Rail Transport Statistics Publication;

Road and Rail Transport Statistics is a quarterly publication and contains a variety of transport information. The data are collated from a number of sources including the Driver and Vehicle Agency and Translink.

2. Official Statistics;

This is a National Statistics publication and therefore follows the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. You can find further information about the Code of Practice at:

http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/code-of-practice/index.html

3. For further information please contact:

Website