Key Points
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In 2025 events started across the UK to mark the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.
Porterbrook has been a key partner of the celebrations, including contributing significant funding to the one-of-a-kind Inspiration Train’s tour of the country, and the installation of its unique livery.
More than 80,000 people have explored the Railway 200 “Inspiration” exhibition train, which uses rare artefacts and fascinating facts to explore how railways transformed the world. It includes hands-on engineering challenges and a whistle-stop tour of interesting – and lesser-known – careers on the railways.
On April 14th and 15th 2026, local Warwickshire students were invited to explore the train at the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre. As part of their experience, through virtual reality headsets the children were able to “jump into” the cab of a train and drive around the site’s brand-new electrified test track, the only continuous rail loop in the UK.
Porterbrook was also involved in a number of other key Railway200 events throughout the celebrations. This included showcasing HydroFLEX, the UK’s first and only hydrogen powered passenger train, at The Greatest Gathering in Derby, and at the Severn Valley Railway, where tens of thousands of visitors were able to experience it and take private tours of the hydro-chamber.
Railway200 is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the past, but it also gives us a platform to stimulate interest from the public, and hopefully attract new talent into our sector.
