Guidance

Apply for grant funding to transport freight by rail and water

Explains how to access funding to transport freight by rail and water, rather than by road, and provides details of grants awarded.

• From: Department for Transport
• Published: 22 July 2013
• Last updated: 5 June 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 5 June 2026

     The closing date for MSRS and WFG funding applications is 6 July 2026.

  2. 19 January 2026

     Updated to reflect the extension of the MSRS scheme and WFG until 31 March 2027.

  3. 29 December 2025

     Updated to reflect the extension of the MSRS to March 2027.

  4. 4 February 2025

     MSRS scheme extended until March 2026.

  5. 24 July 2024

     '30 August 2024, Rail Period 7' closing date removed.

  6. 6 March 2024

     Temporary grant rates for 2023 to 2024 information added.

  7. 19 December 2023

     Bid round dates for 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 period added.

  8. 11 January 2023

     Update to information on industrial action in regards to Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight Grant applications.

  9. 22 December 2022

     Updated application closing dates.

  10. 5 July 2022

      Overview guidance document updated to reflect proposals for temporary variations to freight grant rates following the recent, and potentially further, rail strikes.

  11. 28 January 2022

      Updated MSRS guidance has been published.

  12. 6 December 2021

      Addition of Mode Shift Revenue Support application closing dates and forms for 2022 to 2023 and update to the awards listing January 2021 to August 2021.

  13. 27 April 2021

      Updated with latest grant awards from December 2020 and January 2021.

  14. 19 November 2020

      The 'background information' document has been updated with application closing dates for the financial year 2021 to 2022.

  15. 23 September 2020

      The guidance has been updated to reflect the August 2020 MSRS bid round.

  16. 3 August 2020

      The guidance has been updated to reflect the June 2020 MSRS bid round.

  17. 18 May 2020

      Postal application option removed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

  18. 3 February 2020

      Application forms updated.

  19. 23 January 2020

      December 2019 awards added.

  20. 16 October 2019

      August 2019 awards added.

  21. 5 June 2019

      May 2019 awards added.

  22. 23 April 2019

      December 2018 awards added.

  23. 7 January 2019

      August 2018 grant funding amounts released.

  24. 1 August 2018

      June 2018 awards announced.

  25. 3 July 2018

      May 2018 awards released.

  26. 24 April 2018

      Closing application dates for June 2018, May, August and December 2019 added.

  27. 6 February 2018

      Grant funding for August and December 2017.

  28. 4 July 2017

      Grant funding for May 2017 released.

  29. 5 April 2017

      January 2017 grant funding to transport freight by rail and water.

  30. 19 January 2017

      December 2016 grant funding to transport freight by rail and water.

  31. 7 November 2016

      Grant funding provided to support the transportation of freight by rail and water release along with guidance for future funding.

  32. 30 June 2016

      Details of grant funding provided to support the transportation of freight by rail and water in June 2016.

  33. 26 May 2016

      Details of grant funding provided to support the transportation of freight by rail and water in March 2016.

  34. 24 February 2016

      Details of grant funding provided to support the transportation of freight by rail and water in January 2016.

  35. 17 February 2016

      'Supplementary guidance for Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight Grant Schemes, February 2016' published.

  36. 26 January 2016

      September 2015 bid round outcome.

  37. 19 January 2016

      Latest supplementary guidance for January 2016 published, alongside a link to a letter seeking views on 2 proposed administrative changes to the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme.

  38. 11 September 2015

      Details of grant funding provided to support the transportation of freight by rail and water in June 2015.

  39. 9 March 2015

      Added grant funding from the Sustainable Distribution Fund following the January 2015 bid round.

  40. 9 January 2015

      December 2014 grant funding list to support the transportation of freight by rail and water released.

  41. 23 December 2014

      Added supplementary guidance for the Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight Grant Schemes, December 2014.

  42. 28 October 2014

      Added 'Grant funding to support the transportation of freight by rail and water, October 2014'

  43. 20 October 2014

      Added Supplementary Guidance for the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) and Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) schemes, October 2014.

  44. 19 August 2014

      Added 'Grant funding to support the transportation of freight by rail and water, June 2014'

  45. 17 February 2014

      Added 'Grant funding to support the transportation of freight by rail and water, January 2014'

  46. 13 November 2013

      September 2013 grant funding to transport freight by rail and water information released.

  47. 22 July 2013

      Supplementary guidance Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) and Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) schemes bid round dates, June 2013 added.

  48. 22 July 2013

      First published.

  49. 2 July 2013

      Grant funding to support the transportation of freight by rail and water, June 2013 added.

  50. 4 April 2013

      February 2013 bid round awards added.

  51. 21 September 2012

      Summary of the awards made during December 2012.

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight Grant applications: overview

HTML

Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) guidance

PDF, 693 KB, 32 pages

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Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) scheme guidance

PDF, 484 KB, 34 pages

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Mode Shift Revenue Support and Waterborne Freight Grant awards since December 2014

CSV, 132 KB

View online

Intermodal traffic details form (ODS version)

ODS, 5.08 KB

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Bulk traffic details form (ODS version)

ODS, 6.46 KB

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Waterborne Freight Grant financial summary table (ODS version)

ODS, 4.88 KB

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Intermodal application form (ODS version)

ODS, 12 KB

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Bulk and Waterways application form (ODS version)

ODS, 12 KB

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Waterborne Freight Grant application form (ODS version)

ODS, 15.3 KB

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Details

Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) scheme and Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) extended until 31 March 2027.

These environmentally beneficial schemes provide funding to supplement the additional costs incurred if companies move freight by rail or water, rather than by road.

Details of the grants awarded has also been published.

To fulfil the subsidy control transparency obligations, details of grant allocation data is published / updated regularly on the Subsidy Control Database:  

View subsidies awarded by UK public authorities - GOV.UK 

Access instructions:  

Step 1: Click: ‘Start Now’ 

Step 2: Click: ‘View all subsidy awards made under schemes’ 

Step 3: Set the filters as below:  

• purpose: Environmental protection 

• sector: Transportation and storage  

• form: Direct grant

Mode Shift Revenue Support grant scheme 2020 to 2027

The MSRS scheme for 2020 to 2027 has 2 funding options for companies moving freight within the UK.

Intermodal MSRS funding

Intermodal funding is for companies transporting intermodal units by rail, such as containers, swap bodies or piggyback trailers.

Bulk and waterways MSRS funding

Bulk and waterways funding supports non-containerised freight movement by rail and freight transported by inland waterway.

Waterborne Freight Grant scheme 2020 to 2027

The WFG scheme applies to coastal and short sea shipping.