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30 June 2005

LATEST NORTHERN IRELAND TRANSPORT STATISTICS PUBLISHED

The number of new cars registered in Northern Ireland has fallen by eight per cent in the first quarter this year.

Between January and March a total of 22,311 new cars were registered here, which compares to a figure of 24,292 during the corresponding quarter last year.

The figures are contained in the latest edition of the Northern Ireland Road and Rail Transport Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, which contains statistics for the period 1 January to 31 March 2005 and was published today.

The publication is produced by the Central Statistics and Research Branch of the Department for Regional Development and contains information on new vehicle and car registrations, light goods and heavy goods registrations, vehicle and driving tests, use of public transport and deliveries of petroleum for use in Northern Ireland.

Some of the key points for the quarter are highlighted below:

  • 5% (1,016) of all new cars registered for the first time were imported from the Republic of Ireland.
  • Ford was the most popular make of new car accounting for almost 13% (2,978) of all new cars registered during the quarter.
  • 57% (535) of the 937 heavy goods vehicles registered for the first time in Northern Ireland were previously used vehicles.
  • There were 17.25 million public bus passenger journeys made during the quarter, resulting in a weekly average of 1.33 million. This is a decrease of almost 4% compared to the weekly average of 1.38 million journeys made during the same quarter of last year. Bus passenger receipts have increased by 2% from £1.76 million to £1.79 million on a weekly average basis compared to the same period in the previous year.
  • Compared to the same period in the previous year, the weekly average rail passenger receipts rose by 3% to £0.32 million from £0.31 million. Rail passenger miles have decreased to a weekly average of 2.63 million for the quarter compared to 2.69 million for the corresponding quarter of 2004.
  • Compared to the corresponding quarter in 2004, the four quarter rolling average pass rate for ‘L’ driving tests for males rose from 52% to 53% and for females also rose from 42% to 43%, both higher than the equivalent GB pass rates.
  • 180,862 tonnes of petroleum were delivered during the quarter, an increase of 17% on the tonnage delivered during the corresponding quarter of 2004.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Copies of the Road and Rail Transport Statistics Bulletin are available (free of charge) from:

Central Statistics and Research Branch,
Department for Regional Development,
Room 4.02, Clarence Court,
10-18 Adelaide Street,
Belfast BT2 8GB.

Telephone: 028 9054 0801

E mail address: csrb@drdni.gov.uk

Internet:http://www.drdni.gov.uk/DRDwww_Statistics

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