The government has published its Transport Resilience Strategy setting out 22 commitments to improve the ability of the UK’s transport networks to withstand and recover from disruption over the next five to 10 years.
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Published by the Department for Transport (DfT) the strategy establishes a framework for government, transport operators and local partners to identify risks, reduce vulnerabilities and improve preparedness across the transport system.
It applies the wider UK Government Resilience Action Plan to transport, reflecting growing concerns about the impact of extreme weather, cyber attacks, energy supply disruption, ageing infrastructure and increasingly interconnected transport networks.
The strategy identifies three main objectives: continuously assessing the resilience of the transport sector to target investment and interventions; enabling the whole transport system, including passengers and freight users, to contribute to resilience; and strengthening the government's own capabilities to manage transport-related risks.
Among its commitments is the development of more consistent risk assessment across transport modes, including standardised industry risk registers and improved horizon scanning. An expert transport resilience red-teaming panel will also be established to provide additional scrutiny of risks and test preparedness.
The DfT plans to introduce a coordinated, multi-year programme of exercises involving a wider range of transport operators and other partners. It will also develop transport resilience standards and guidance to help organisations improve their preparedness and business continuity arrangements.
The strategy also places greater emphasis on managing risks that cross organisational and sector boundaries. In particular, it highlights the growing interdependence between transport and energy infrastructure as networks become increasingly electrified, alongside reliance on telecommunications, digital systems and supply chains.
The scale of the climate challenge is illustrated by government estimates that 37% of railways and 38% of roads in England are currently in areas at risk from one or more sources of flooding. Based on climate change projections, these proportions are expected to increase to 54% and 46% respectively by the middle of the century.
Other risks identified include ageing road and rail infrastructure, power outages, workforce disruption, geopolitical instability and cyber attacks. The strategy points to previous incidents, including Storm Darragh's damage to Holyhead port in 2024 and the substation fire that closed Heathrow Airport for 23 hours in March 2025, as examples of how disruption can affect wider transport operations and supply chains.
A new Transport Resilience Academy will be piloted in a small number of local areas, providing tailored training for transport operators and local partners. The programme will include workshops, events and practical exercises, with the intention of developing a wider training offer following the pilot.
The government will also establish a Transport Resilience Network to bring together resilience professionals, operators, local authorities, academics and other stakeholders to share experience, assess risks and improve coordination. This will build on existing regional forums and could eventually include expertise from outside the transport sector.
Other measures include developing digital twins to improve system-wide resilience capabilities, improving the mapping of Critical National Infrastructure and bringing transport operators, regulators and emergency responders together to improve mutual aid and the mobilisation of resources during disruption.
The strategy also recognises the role of passengers and other transport users in resilience planning, including the need to provide better information during disruption and improve support for vulnerable people.
Transport minister Keir Mather said the strategy recognised that resilience was a whole-government, whole-sector and whole-society responsibility, requiring closer collaboration between organisations rather than relying on individual operators to manage risks independently.