Railway 200 Draws Hundreds of Thousands as Bicentenary Celebrations Circle the Globe

Railway 200, marking two centuries since the birth of the modern railway, has been confirmed as the largest rail celebration ever staged, generating more than 10,000 events and activities and drawing attendance figures of at least 400,000 people.

The year-long programme reached far beyond Britain, engaging tens of millions of people across more than 180 countries and five continents. Its focus spanned the railway’s history, its present-day role and its future, highlighting how rail has shaped societies, employment and everyday life.

Launched on New Year’s Day last year, the partner-led campaign was coordinated by a small core team and began with a global Whistle-Up involving 200 locomotives. The Heritage Railway Association described this as the biggest heritage rail mass participation event ever held. Among the flagship events was the world’s largest rail festival, hosted by Alstom in Derby, which attracted 42,000 visitors. Later in the year, more than 100,000 people attended events in Shildon during a single week in September as part of S&DR200, an international festival celebrating the North East of England as the cradle of the railways.

The initiative has also left an educational and careers-focused legacy. To date, 100,000 young people have been encouraged to consider working in the rail industry. That aim is being extended through the Railway 200 exhibition train, Inspiration, which is touring Britain until the end of June. The train has already welcomed 60,000 visitors and is achieving a recommendation rating of nine out of ten.

Railway 200’s reach was reinforced through a series of commemorative projects, including specially minted coins from The Royal Mint, stamps issued by The Royal Mail and a commissioned poem from the Poet Laureate. The campaign achieved widespread media exposure, featuring in documentaries and across television, radio, national newspapers and social media platforms. Monitoring recorded almost 9,000 pieces of positive coverage, with a potential audience reach of 20.6 billion. Its website, which hosts what is described as the largest educational online resource in the rail sector, has logged 1.7 million page views so far.

Recognition has followed, with Railway 200 receiving VisitEngland’s Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award.

Emma Roberts, programme manager for Railway 200, said:

“By any measure the bicentenary celebration was an unqualified success, thanks to the many people and organisations who became history-makers by getting involved. It brought the rail industry together, inspired people to re-evaluate rail’s role and showcased the railway as a varied and rewarding career open to all. It helped to build considerable goodwill towards, and restore pride in, a British invention that changed the world. The legacy of the campaign is being evaluated for the industry to build upon, but has included new progressive partnerships, new public artworks, new career pathways, and stronger links between mainline and heritage railways. Railway 200 has set the standard for other countries’ national rail celebrations in the years ahead.”

Alan Hyde, who led marketing and communications for the Railway 200 national team, added:

“The campaign is a case study in collaboration. It’s been amazing to see what was only a notion two years or so ago develop into an international campaign with scale, substance and significance. Thanks to our many partners, the campaign realised its ambition of becoming the UK’s biggest rail story told by the UK’s biggest rail partnership. It’s a privilege to have been involved.”

Image: Network Rail