Alan Hyde

✨New tour dates and destinations announced today for Inspiration, Railway 200's exhibition train!✨ The popular attraction is family-friendly and free-to-enter. New stops include Lewes, Bristol and Newquay. Booking is essential. Visit railway200.co.uk/Inspiration

Railway 200 was the world’s largest rail celebration. Thanks to its many partners, rail’s bicentenary last year saw 10,000+ activities and events, attended by more than 400,000 people. The award-winning campaign reached tens of millions of people across five continents. More than 100,000 young people have been encouraged to consider a career in rail, so far. This mission continues. The Railway 200 exhibition train, Inspiration, tours Britain until the end of June this year, with new dates and destinations to be announced soon. For an initial summary of the 200th anniversary celebration campaign visit: railway200.co.uk/railway-200-wa… Thank you, history-makers!

A four-part TV series, ‘Britain’s Favourite Railway Stations’, kicks off tonight at 9pm on More4. Join presenter Si King as he explores the UK’s vast railway network and its 2,600+ stations, uncovering the beauty of these iconic travel hubs and meeting the people who keep them running. We’re proud that Railway 200 worked with the production team and suggested some of the stations featured. #Railway200

Happy New Year! As the bicentenary ticks away and a new year starts, the chimings of Big Ben at midnight remind us of the role of the railways in standardising time. The story of ‘Railway Time’ features in the Railway 200 exhibition train, Inspiration, which tours Britain until summer this year. Next stop is Ribble Steam Railway from 6 January. One of the interactive exhibits in the Railway Firsts carriage is a trio of clockfaces, illustrating different times in the 1830s in Glasgow, London and Cardiff. The on-train clocks have now been updated to include the new digital Rail Clock, the first clock designed for Britain’s railways in over 50 years. Book your ticket for Inspiration here: railway200.co.uk/inspiration

What a landmark year it’s been! From Railway 200 celebrations with cakes and tea parties to festivals, stunning murals, train namings and commemorative stamps - we’ve honoured the past, celebrated the present, and looked to the future. 🎉 Catch some of the highlights in our reel below and relive some unforgettable moments. Thanks for being part of the journey! Share your photos and videos with us of how you celebrated here railway200.co.uk/get-involved/y… Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/oyfvrDZ5dOE #Railway200

Did you know rail freight is helping to deliver your Christmas? From crackers and puddings to trees, toys, and even wine – new figures show rail freight is moving millions of festive essentials to shops across Britain, ensuring more festive cheer in rail’s 200th anniversary year. Read the press release here railway200.co.uk/o-come-all-ye-…

This year, #CommunityRail has united Britain to celebrate #Railway200 🎉 Over 50,000 people joined 300+ community-led events marking 200 years of rail innovation 🚂 Discover the highlights in our special video below 🎬 @railway200 #CommunityRailWrapped youtube.com/watch?v=uVdnel…

During this busy period for the health service and as the modern railway's bicentenary year comes to a close, it provides a timely reminder of the little-known but important role played by the railway in the creation of the NHS. When devising the NHS, politician Aneurin (Nye) Bevan took inspiration from The Great Western Railway Medical Fund and its hospital and restorative baths in Swindon, established to help look after sick or injured railway staff. Founded in 1847, the Fund opened a hospital, swimming and washing baths, a dispensary, medical and dental practices and laboratory. @GWRHelp After visiting the facilities, it is reported Nye Bevan said: "There it was, a complete health service. All we had to do was to expand it to embrace the whole country." Today, a blue plaque on Faringdon Road, Swindon commemorates the railway's role as "the blueprint for the NHS." For more info: networkrail.co.uk/stories/the-nh…

Have you listened to the Railway 200 Great Rail Tales podcast series yet? It's a fascinating mix of rail stories. One of the latest episodes features rail author and commentator Christian Wolmar who talks about rail's role in war. Listen here railway200.co.uk/podcast/christ… #Railway200

A Railway 200 wreath was laid today at a national railway commemoration event at Paddington station, attended by Her Majesty Queen Camilla, to mark Remembrance Day. Emma Roberts, from the Railway 200 national team, joined other industry representatives in honouring railway workers who served in war and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. The event, organised by @GWRHelp and @NetworkRail , took place at the Great Western Railway War Memorial on platform 1, which was decked in poppies that had been collected from communities along the GWR network and across the rail industry. On Remembrance Sunday the railway was represented in the Cenotaph Parade for the first time, as part of the bicentenary of the modern railway. #WeWillRememberThem #RemembranceDay #PoppiesToPaddington Photo credit: Jack Boskett 📸

Tomorrow is Armistice Day, marking the signing of a truce on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to signal the end of World War 1. It later also became known as Remembrance Day to honour those who served and died in all wars and conflicts. The railway will be paying its respects with memorial services across the UK, including a national industry event at Paddington station as part of the railway’s bicentenary where a Railway 200 wreath will be laid. At the start of World War 1 Britain’s railways employed more than 700,000 workers. About 100,00 enlisted and by the end of the war 20,000 had tragically lost their lives. Women stepped in to fulfil essential functions, ensuring that the railways could continue to support the national war effort. The short video below highlights rail’s contribution during The Great War (archive footage: Imperial war museums). Another video, produced by Railway 200, was issued earlier in the year to mark the anniversary of VE Day towards the end of the World War 2 youtube.com/watch?v=WBWxUn… @networkrail @RailDeliveryGrp @transportgovuk youtu.be/qkv8GN4Q0UI

This #RemembranceSunday the railway was officially represented at the Cenotaph Parade for the first time. ❤️ Colleagues marched past and handed over a wreath on behalf of our industry. A fitting tribute in the year of the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. #Railway200

🎃 Happy #Halloween, #Railway200 style. 👇 Share your railway-inspired pumpkin creations below ... 👇 @railway200 And get involved with events near you celebrating 200 years of the modern passenger railway: railway200.co.uk/search-for-act… Brilliant pumpkin by Francesca Pipe.

Celebrate the bicentenary by diving into a collection of BBC documentaries that bring the story of steam, steel, and society to life. Whether you're a rail enthusiast or just love a good story, these films are your ticket to the past, present, and future of train travel. Browse here bbc.co.uk/iplayer/group/…

@networkrail @Design_Bridge @RIBA @DesignMuseum And for an explanation from the Curator Time at Royal Museums Greenwich on the origins of time and rail’s role in standardising it, watch this: youtu.be/skloRWBZV88

To coincide with the clocks going back an hour at 02:00 on Sunday, Railway 200 has produced a video, filmed at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, on the history of time and rail’s central role in getting it standardised. The growth of the railways required a standard time to be introduced to avoid accidents and timetable confusion as trains travelled through different local time zones. Who better to explain it all than Dr Emily Akkermans, Curator of Time at Royal Museums Greenwich. Click here for a longer explanation: youtu.be/skloRWBZV88?si… #Railway200

The exhibition train, named Inspiration, visits Aberdeen from 19 - 20 October. Made up of four carriages, the train is a chance to experience Railway Firsts, a journey through time that looks back on the rich railway history, Wonderlab on Wheels in partnership with the National Railway Museum which puts your skills to the test, Railway Futures giving you an insight into hidden roles within rail and a pop-up interactive partner zone space. Secure your free tickets for Aberdeen and future location dates for a fun, family day out here www.railway200/inspiration

Railway dawn. This morning at @LocomotionSHD, we marked 200 years since a spark helped create a global revolution: for @sdrfestival & @railway200. With a green signal on the mainline and the twin strips of steel ahead, today we made history. Thank you all, and chuffing well done.

BBC Radio 3 today announced that it will celebrate 200 years of the modern railway with an unprecedented all-day broadcast on 27 September, the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Throughout the day, presenter Petroc Trelawny will take listeners on a journey from Inverness to London, exploring how train travel has inspired composers over the last two centuries. Read more here: bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/20…

The 200th anniversary of the modern railway has been celebrated with a commemorative poem from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage CBE. Titled ‘The Longest Train In The World’, the poem is published today as part of Railway 200, a national celebration of the past, present and future of the railway, exploring how this British invention has shaped our lives and livelihoods. Read the full press release here: railway200.co.uk/poet-laureate-… Watch the video of Simon Armitage reciting the poem, filmed in Marsden, West Yorkshire, where Simon grew up. youtu.be/eTS-iYvhcqc?si… @RailDeliveryGrp