Rail Business Daily (RBD) is proud to announce its support for next year’s Railway 200 celebrations, a year-long nationwide partnership-led campaign to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway and to inspire a new generation of young pioneering talent to choose a career in rail.
Starting in January 2025, a wide variety of activities and events are being planned to celebrate rail’s remarkable past, its role today, and its importance to a sustainable future.
Dean Bruce, Rail Business Daily (RBD) Managing Director, said: “Railway 200 is a fantastic initiative to be involved with, both recognising the heritage from the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in September 1825, but also looking to the future.
“Throughout the year RBD will be supporting the wide variety of events taking place, celebrating the amazing industry and its people, all of whom fill me with no doubts that the sector is in safe hands for the years ahead.”
In addition to sharing news of Railway 200 activities throughout the next year, RBD will also feature events associated with Railway 200 in its Ultimate Rail Calendar.
Railway 200 is developed by a cross-industry partnership. A small core team will deliver some national initiatives, but most of the nationwide activity will be taken forwards by partner organisations, supported by the core team.
Railway 200 aims to excite interest from the next generation by inviting young people of all backgrounds to consider a career in rail. It also hopes to attract more volunteers to heritage railways.
To help tell the Railway 200 story, four main themes will be explored:
-Skills & Education
-Innovation, Technology & Environment
-Heritage, Culture & Tourism
-Celebrating Railway People
Last month at an event in Darlington, Jake Kelly, Managing Director of Network Rail Eastern, encouraged organisations and communities to embrace Railway 200, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to celebrate the railway’s far-reaching impact on how we live our lives and how it’s shaping a more sustainable future.
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.”
The 200th anniversary will kick-off with an evocative ‘Whistle-Off’ of vintage locomotives at 12 noon on 1 January 2025 at sites across the UK, spearheaded by the Heritage Railway Association.
There will also be a national Railway 200 seat sale in early 2025, offering heavily discounted train travel for great days out, as announced this month by the Secretary of State for Transport.
Over three fun-filled days in August, train builder Alstom will host ‘The Greatest Gathering’ at its historic Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, showcasing the largest temporary assembly of trains and rail-related exhibits in a generation.
Other highlights include planning a touring exhibition train, named ‘Inspiration’, to criss-cross Britain, creating a buzz at mainline stations, heritage railways and rail freight depots. The train is being developed in partnership with the National Railway Museum, part of the Science Museum Group.
Visit https://railway200.co.uk/ for more details.
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