Fringe activities

East Midlands Railway looks forward to welcoming you to Derby for the annual Community Rail Awards 2026!

We want to help you explore and experience the best of our region and have created a programme of fringe events to give you a taste of where the train can take you.

• Wednesday 18th March –  join us for a ‘Welcome to Derby’ celebration, featuring a special performance of a play about railway pioneer George Stephenson.
• Thursday 19th and Friday 20th – Derwent Valley and North Staffs CRP’s will host visits to local tourist attractions, and a history walk, giving you a taste of our region’s heritage and charm.

Additionally, in this special Railway 200 year, we will be taking a trip to Chesterfield to visit George Stephenson’s resting place at Holy Trinity Church, explore its commemorative exhibition and excitingly, this will be followed by a trip to Barrow Hill Roundhouse Museum. Date TBC.

Note: All timings are TBC and bookings for all these events will be on a first come first served basis. Check back here for updated booking information in a few weeks.