Scotland welcomes ‘Inspiration’ train celebrating 200 years of the railway

Saturday 11 Oct 2025

Scotland welcomes ‘Inspiration’ train celebrating 200 years of the railway

Region & Route:: Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

A special exhibition train, celebrating 200 years of the railway, has arrived at Glasgow Central Station today (Saturday 11 October), marking the start of the Scottish leg of its nationwide tour.

Named Inspiration, the train features four themed carriages that take visitors on a journey through rail history, future innovation and local stories.

Railway Firsts: A tribute to landmark moments in railway history.

Wonderlab on Wheels: An interactive space for hands-on engineering exploration.

Your Railway Future: A showcase of diverse and lesser-known careers in rail, encouraging future participation.
Partnership Zone: A journey through time highlighting significant milestones for the railway in Scotland.

It’s part of the Railway 200 programme, inspired by the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. Events have been taking place across Britain throughout the year, with Inspiration touring the country to bring the story of rail to life for the communities it serves.

The exhibition train will visit five locations in Scotland in October:

11-12 October - Glasgow Central Station

13-14 October - Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway

16-17 October – Stathspey Railway

19-20 October – Aberdeen Station
22-23 October – Edinburgh Waverley Station

Liam Sumpter, managing director of Network Rail Scotland, said: “Rail has played a defining role in Scotland’s story over the past 200 years. It powered the industrial revolution, supported the country through wartime, and helped shape the towns, cities and industries we know today.

“The arrival of the Inspiration train is a moment to reflect on that legacy, as well as recognise the railway’s continued contribution. It showcases how rail connects people and places, supports jobs and communities, and evolves to remain a vital part of everyday life.

“The exhibition train is a great chance to see just how far the railway’s come and to get excited about where it’s headed next. I’d encourage everyone to visit when it stops near you.”

Visitors should book in advance of visiting the train. More information is available at www.railway200.co.uk/inspiration.

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

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail Press Office - Natasha Richardson
Senior Media Relations Manager
Network Rail
07701274676
natasha.richardson@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.