Currently the UK is experiencing a shortage of fuel for road vehicles, this being driven by panic-buying by millions of motorists, which in turn has been driven by a shortage of HGV drivers to deliver (said) goods.

Something that has occured to myself during this turbulent period is why the railways/railroads are not used more extensively to ease this pressure on supply chains. I point this out for the reason (which may just be my perception) that there is an extensive railway network throughout the UK which primarily transports people, with goods being a secondary concern (from personal experience it is a rare sight to see goods trains, most that I've seen have been transporting coal/gravel.)
Railways are just one example, but other means of local transport could also be used including canals and costal boats.

Has the UK Government indicated that any other means of transport might be used?

Is there any reason to not used existing infrastructure, such as railways, to ease this pressure on logistics?