With Railway 200 well underway, the momentum is building along with the anticipation for Inspiration – the Railway 200 Exhibition Train, an iconic travelling visitor attraction that will showcase 200 years of railway innovations, combining past, present, and future railway milestones with hands-on interactivity and career-focused activities.
Curated in partnership with The National Railway Museum and launching in June 2025, Inspiration will excite, engage, and entertain over 200,000 people and will visit 60 locations across the mainline network (England, Scotland and Wales) over 12 months, focusing on areas that wouldn’t normally be able to access this type of experience.
Three of the carriages are permanent exhibitions, but to give partners the opportunity to get involved, a partner zone has been created in the fourth carriage. We caught up with Emma Roberts and Christy Argyroudi from Railway 200 to ask them more about The Partner Zone, how community rail partnerships can get involved and, importantly, where the train will be visiting.
Do we know where the Inspiration will be visiting?
The first three months of the route (June-September 2025) were announced on 3 March. The destinations and dates (and contact details for each station) are as follows:
27 June – 6 July: Severn Valley Railway, Kidderminster
8 – 10 July: Birmingham Moor Street Station
12 – 15 July: London Euston Station
18 – 19 July: London Waterloo Station
20 – 21 July: Margate Station
23 – 29 July: Bluebell Railway, Sussex
1 – 3 August: Alstom’s Litchurch Lane site, Derby (for ‘The Greatest Gathering’)
7 – 10 August: Norwich Station
11 – 14 August: Lowestoft Station
16 – 17 August: Freightliner’s depot, Doncaster
23 – 31 August: National Railway Museum, York
10 – 17 September: Darlington Station
20 September – 1 October: Locomotion, Shildon
Click here to view the full list of contact details for Exhibition Train stations.
Why are you only releasing details for the first three months?
We are announcing the train’s route in three phases. Phase 1: June – September 2025, Phase 2: September – December 2025 and Phase 3: January – June 2026. We are doing this in phases to allow for a thorough assessment of each location.
When will you release Phase 2 and 3?
We don’t have a set date for this yet, so please keep checking our website and social channels for updates. You can also sign up for updates on our website.
Can you tell us a bit more about the Partner Zone?
It’s the fourth carriage on Inspiration and has been designed to provide partners with a flexible exhibition space for local storytelling and Railway 200 related activity.
What’s inside the Partner Zone?
The carriage is in two sections – one half is exhibition space, and the other section is for storage. The carriage interior follows the same design theme as the other carriages and talks about the benefits of rail. There is a donation point to support our charity campaign and a screen for partners to showcase local content.
What type of activity is suitable for the Partner Zone?
Activity must be railway-related and support Railway 200’s themes, which are: Education & Skills; Culture, Heritage and Tourism; Celebrating Railway People; and Innovation, Technology & Environment. The space can also be used for showcasing local railway history and communities (relating to the railway). The train must not be used as a sales space, for activities unrelated to the railway or as a private meeting space.
When and how do I book the Partner Zone?
Each local site will have its own booking system, and this will be live in late March. We are inviting partners to request a booking then each local site team will review to make sure the request meets our criteria. Once reviewed and deemed to meet the criteria, a confirmation or rejection will be sent to the partner. Successful applicants will be required to sign a Terms and Conditions document before proceeding. We expect there to be a high demand for this space, so please make sure you request a booking as soon as possible.
Can I request the whole day or just a few hours?
The Partner Zone can be requested for a whole day (09.30-17.30) or just a morning (09.30-13.30) or afternoon (13.30-17.30). If you want to request the full day, you’ll need to select both the morning and afternoon slots.
Can I exhibit on the platform areas or within the host site?
That’s for local teams to review and decide, Railway 200 isn’t responsible for that element of the event.
How can my community rail partnership get involved?
Each event will have a working group. This is where all thelocal event planning and decisions will be made. If the train is visiting your local area, please email christy.argyroudi@gbrtt.co.uk to let her know what location you are interested in so we can put you in touch with the local group.
Will there be another opportunity for a webinar with the Railway 200 Team?
Yes, we will be hosting a webinar with Emma and Christy in mid-late April. When the date has been set, we’ll let you know using our usual channels.
