Steel Use and Mobility in UK Transport (1960–2015)

What is it about?

This paper analyses how steel stocks and flows in the UK transport sector support passenger mobility between 1960 and 2015. Using the stock–flow–service (SFS) nexus framework, it links the steel accumulated in vehicles (stocks), the steel entering and leaving the system (flows), and the mobility services delivered (passenger-km). The study shows how steel consumption and accumulation in cars, buses, rail, and other transport modes contributed to changes in passenger mobility over time.

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Photo by Joseph Mama on Unsplash

Photo by Joseph Mama on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Most resource accounting methods focus only on material flows and overlook the role of in-use material stocks in providing services. By analysing steel stocks together with the mobility services they enable, the study shows how efficiently different transport modes use materials. The results reveal that steel stock efficiency declined for cars and buses but increased for rail systems, highlighting how transport system changes affect resource efficiency and material demand.