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Thursday 24 Apr 2025

Bookings now open for 'Inspiration', Railway 200's unique exhibition train at Euston

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: West Coast Mainline South

Network Rail is excited to announce that bookings are now open for visits to 'Inspiration', the unique exhibition train celebrating the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.

 The train will be at London Euston from 12 July to 15 July, as part of its journey across 60 locations over the next 12 months.

Bookings have opened for visits to the unique exhibition train, part of a national celebration of the 200^th anniversary of the modern railway called Railway 200. 

The train, named Inspiration, launches at Severn Valley Railway in Worcestershire on 27 June and will criss-cross Britain over the following 12 months, visiting 60 locations and showcasing rail’s past, present and future in new, fun and engaging ways.

Curated in partnership with the National Railway Museum, Inspiration will be the only exhibition train on the rail network and will help to attract the next generation of pioneering talent to the railway.

Inspiration will comprise four eye-catching carriages.  Rail’s pioneering pedigree will be explored in a ‘Railway Firsts’ coach, highlighting landmark moments in rail’s development. Alongside will be a ‘Wonderlab on Wheels’, inviting visitors to test their engineering skills with hands-on exhibits.  Next will be a ‘Your Railway Future’ carriage, showcasing some of the more hidden roles in rail and encouraging people to join the railway to shape the next 200 years. There will also be a ‘Partner Zone’, offering free, flexible exhibition space. 

The carriages are currently being fitted out, supported by a £250k grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

More than 200,000 people, including many schoolchildren, are expected to visit by prior booking. Admission to the train will be free, but normal entry charges to heritage railways and private sites where it is located will apply.

The train will visit the North East of England in September - rail’s 200^th anniversary month - as part of S&DR200, a nine-month international festival inspired by the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) in 1825, a journey that changed the world forever.

Bookings are now open for visits to: 

Date	Location
27 June – 6 July 2025	Severn Valley Railway, Worcestershire (NB: normal entry charges apply)
8 – 10 July 2025	Birmingham Moor Street station
12 – 15 July 2025	London Euston station
18 – 19 July 2025	London Waterloo station
20 – 21 July 2025	Margate station, Kent
23 – 29 July 2025	Bluebell Railway, Sussex (NB: normal entry charges apply)
7 – 10 August 2025	Norwich station, Norfolk
11 – 14 August 2025	Lowestoft station, Suffolk

Bookings for the following events will open shortly:

16 – 17 August 2025	Freightliner Doncaster Railport, South Yorkshire
23 – 31 August 2025	National Railway Museum, York
10 – 17 September 2025	Darlington station, County Durham
20 September – 1 October 2025	Locomotion Museum, Shildon, County Durham

The remaining itinerary, up to June 2026, will be announced at a later date, after the complex train planning process has been completed. 

No passengers will be carried on the train as it travels to its exhibition sites.  Booked visits will take place between 10am and 5pm, with the on-train experience expected to last up to an hour.  A virtual tour of the exhibition experience is planned for those who are unable to visit in person.

Emma Roberts, programme manager for Railway 200, a cross-sector, Government-backed bicentenary campaign, said: “This special exhibition train is set to become a new, national visitor attraction, providing an unforgettable experience for hundreds of thousands of people across Britain, including many schoolchildren.  It will excite, enlighten, entertain and inspire them to take a fresh look at the railway, as part of its anniversary celebrations.”

Network Rail’s Head of Euston station operations, Amanda Webster-Uz said: "We are excited to announce that bookings are now open for the Railway 200 exhibition train.

“It’s great to be a part of the nationwide tour, giving visitors to Euston a unique and interactive experience celebrating the railway’s rich history while showcasing its exciting future. We look forward to welcoming visitors of all ages to explore the exhibition and be inspired by the innovations shaping the next 200 years of rail."

To book and find out more about Inspiration visit www.railway200.co.uk/inspiration.

For more on Railway 200 and how to get involved visit www.railway200.co.uk.