Next
year’s
Railway
200
festival


has
been
launched
with
a
day
of
events
in
Darlington,
the
town
which
was
one
terminus
of
the
pioneering
Stockton
&
Darlington
Railway
and
which
saw
a
steam-hauled
train
carry
members
of
the
public
as
passengers
for
the
first
time
on
27
September
1825.

Railway
200
will
be
a
national
event
throughout
the
United
Kingdom,
and
is
being
supported
by
the
rail
industry,
the
government,
Transport
Scotland,
Transport
for
Wales,
the
Northern
Ireland
Executive,
rail
and
business
bodies,
educational
institutions,
civic
and
community
groups,
and
many
other
partners,
including
heritage
railways,
Visit
Britain
and
the
Museums
Association.

The
festival
will
start
officially
at
12
noon
on
1
January,
when
there
will
be
a
‘Whistle-Off’
by
vintage
locomotives
at
various
places,
thanks
to
members
of
the
Heritage
Railway
Association.

Highlights
include
an
exhibition
train
named
‘Inspiration’
which
will
tour
Britain,
pausing
at
stations
and
depots
so
that
people
can
be
welcomed
aboard.

The
train
is
being
developed
in
partnership
with
the
National
Railway
Museum
and
at
least
400,000
people,
including
school
groups
and
families,
are
expected
to
visit.
The
itinerary
is
still
being
compiled
and
the
organisers
say
it
will
be
confirmed
early
next
year.

Meanwhile,
Alstom
will
host
‘The
Greatest
Gathering’
at
its
Litchurch
Lane
Works
in
Derby,
displaying
the
largest
temporary
assembly
of
trains
and
rail-related
exhibits
in
a
generation,
while
Railnews
will
mount
a
special
online
exhibition
entitled
‘The
Railway
Image’,
which
will
recall
two
centuries
of
design
and
communication
by
the
industry
to
passengers,
staff
and
the
country
at
large,
featuring
many
historic
documents.
A
book
of
the
same
name
is
also
in
preparation.

There
will
also
be
a
national
Railway
200
seat
sale
in
early
2025,
offering
heavily
discounted
train
travel
for
days
out.

At
the
launch
event
in
Darlington
yesterday
Network
Rail
Eastern
Region
managing
director
Jake
Kelly
encouraged
organisations
and
communities
to
be
part
of
Railway
200.

He
said:
‘Railway
200’s
ambitious
programme
not
only
embraces
the
railway’s
historic
roots,
but
also
looks
to
future
innovations
and
how
the
industry
adapts
to
modern-day
challenges
to
get
people
and
goods
to
where
they
need
to
be.

‘Whether
you
are
a
frequent
traveller,
simply
live
by
the
railway,
or
are
an
engineer
of
the
future,
all
are
invited
to
take
part
in
this
huge
programme
of
events,
to
celebrate
the
200th
anniversary
of
an
invention
born
in
the
North
East
which
has
gone
on
to
transform
communities
across
the
globe.’

Rail
minister
and
former
Network
Rail
chairman
Peter
Hendy
was
also
there.
Lord
Hendy
said:
‘Since
the
first
passenger
train
entered
service
almost
two
hundred
years
ago,
our
railways
have
become
integral
to
millions
of
lives,
bringing
communities
closer
together,
opening
up
new
opportunities
for
business
and
driving
economic
growth
across
the
country.

‘Railway
200
presents
an
exciting
opportunity
to
unite
the
wider
public
in
recognition
of
our
rail
network
and
the
brilliant
people
who
keep
it
running.
I
hope
this
year-long
series
of
events
and
celebration
encourages
the
next
generation
to
consider
a
career
in
rail.’