Next year’s Railway 200 festival has been launched with a day of events in Darlington, the town which was one terminus of the pioneering Stockton & Darlington Railway and which saw a steam-hauled train carry members of the public as passengers for the first time on 27 September 1825.

Railway 200 will be a national event throughout the United Kingdom, and is being supported by the rail industry, the government, Transport Scotland, Transport for Wales, the Northern Ireland Executive, rail and business bodies, educational institutions, civic and community groups, and many other partners, including heritage railways, Visit Britain and the Museums Association.

The festival will start officially at 12 noon on 1 January, when there will be a ‘Whistle-Off’ by vintage locomotives at various places, thanks to members of the Heritage Railway Association.

Highlights include an exhibition train named ‘Inspiration’ which will tour Britain, pausing at stations and depots so that people can be welcomed aboard.

The train is being developed in partnership with the National Railway Museum and at least 400,000 people, including school groups and families, are expected to visit. The itinerary is still being compiled and the organisers say it will be confirmed early next year.

Meanwhile, Alstom will host ‘The Greatest Gathering’ at its Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, displaying the largest temporary assembly of trains and rail-related exhibits in a generation, while Railnews will mount a special online exhibition entitled ‘The Railway Image’, which will recall two centuries of design and communication by the industry to passengers, staff and the country at large, featuring many historic documents. A book of the same name is also in preparation.

There will also be a national Railway 200 seat sale in early 2025, offering heavily discounted train travel for days out.

At the launch event in Darlington yesterday Network Rail Eastern Region managing director Jake Kelly encouraged organisations and communities to be part of Railway 200.

He said: ‘Railway 200’s ambitious programme not only embraces the railway’s historic roots, but also looks to future innovations and how the industry adapts to modern-day challenges to get people and goods to where they need to be.

‘Whether you are a frequent traveller, simply live by the railway, or are an engineer of the future, all are invited to take part in this huge programme of events, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of an invention born in the North East which has gone on to transform communities across the globe.’

Rail minister and former Network Rail chairman Peter Hendy was also there. Lord Hendy said: ‘Since the first passenger train entered service almost two hundred years ago, our railways have become integral to millions of lives, bringing communities closer together, opening up new opportunities for business and driving economic growth across the country.

‘Railway 200 presents an exciting opportunity to unite the wider public in recognition of our rail network and the brilliant people who keep it running. I hope this year-long series of events and celebration encourages the next generation to consider a career in rail.’