Rail 200

Published: 10/10/2024

The coming year, 2025, will celebrate 200 years since the first
passenger train hauled passengers along the Stockton and
Darlington Railway with George Stephenson’s Locomotion No 1.
(There were earlier wooden wagonways) but it was the Stockton and
Darlington Railway that gave birth to todays railway and an event
that changed history.
There will be a year long programme ‘Railway 200’ celebrating the
past, recognising the importance of the present and looking to the
future. The logo symbolises the idea that rail is a continuous line
connecting the country – the fabric woven throughout our history,
linking lives, communities and cultures whilst leading the way to the
future.
Railway 200 wants to inspire the next generation about rail. That’s
why there will be a touring exhibition train named ‘Inspiration’ criss –
crossing Britain to create a buzz, with different exhibitions and
interactive elements aimed at schoolchildren, their families and
others to raise awareness of the anniversary and the opportunities in
the many and varied careers available in the rail industry for people
of all backgrounds. The train is being developed in partnership with
the National Railway Museum, part of the Science Museum.
Railway 200 is working with many partners inside and outside the
industry-showing rail’s influence on culture, art and society.
From organisations large and small, National or International and
across the whole railway spectrum will all play their part in this
event, celebrating railway’s far reaching impact on how we live our
lives and how it shapes a more sustainable future. So at a local level
SERUG, the Salisbury to Exeter Users Group, and Community Rail
– the Blackmore Vale Line Community Rail Partnership and Yeovil
Railway Centre too will be part of Railway 200 celebrations