National Railway Museum announces plans for 50th birthday year and the bicentenary of the railways

The National Railway Museum turns 50 in 2025 as the nation celebrates 200 years of the modern railway Museum’s Station Hall will reopen to the public in September, following major refurbishment New exhibitions and anniversary activity planned as museum partners with Railway 200 campaign

The National Railway Museum is gearing up for a landmark year of exhibitions, events, celebrations and a grand reopening, as it celebrates its 50^th birthday in tandem with the 200^th anniversary of the modern railway.  

Station Hall, closed to the public since 2023, will reopen at the York museum in September after the completion of a £10.5m refurbishment project. Visitors will be able to rediscover the grandeur of the historic exhibition space in time for a special birthday weekend on 27-28 September, marking five decades since the museum opened in 1975.  

The former goods station and Grade II listed building represents around a third of the museum’s exhibition space. It will reopen in September with refreshed interior decoration and stunning new collection items, alongside timeless returning favourites such as the royal carriages. The building has also received a band-new roof, fitted with energy-efficient solar panels.      

Other 2025 highlights include Railway Firsts, a brand-new exhibition on display at both the National Railway Museum and sister museum Locomotion in County Durham, from 8 February.  

The exhibition will spotlight the pivotal innovations and unexpected “firsts” that shaped the railways and our history, presented through a series of eye-catching pop-up displays, as visitors journey through the museum.   

In addition, shortlisted entries to the Young Railway Photographer of the Year competition will be on display from June-December at both the National Railway Museum and Locomotion, showcasing the talent and enthusiasm of the next generation. The Railway 200-themed competition is open for entries to those 25 and under until January 31, with top prizes on offer.   

The museum will mark its 50^th birthday year with a new campaign, NRM50, featuring photographs of cherished visits captured on camera by the public over the last five decades. A limited-edition NRM50 range of merchandise will be available to purchase later in the year.   

To mark its 50th birthday, the museum will play host to a special celebratory open weekend on 27-28 September, with visitors offered the chance to access behind-the-scenes areas of the museum, previously unseen by the public. 

The National Railway Museum and Locomotion are key partners in Railway 200, a nationwide campaign to celebrate 200 years since the first fare-paying passenger journey on the Stockton and Darlington Line on 27 September 1825 – widely regarded as the birth of the modern railway. The same date was chosen to open the National Railway Museum, the first national museum outside of London, in 1975.    

Throughout the year, Railway 200 will bring the nation together to celebrate two centuries of railway heritage and innovation, with a rolling programme of exhibitions, events, and community activities showcasing the past, present, and future of rail.  

A four-carriage touring Railway 200 exhibition train called ‘Inspiration’, curated in partnership with the National Railway Museum, will criss-cross Britain for a year from this summer, promoting innovation and careers within the rail industry.  

‘Inspiration’ will visit both the National Railway Museum and Locomotion during the course of the year, with the full schedule set to be announced in the coming months. A range of Railway 200 branded gifts has been created by the National Railway Museum, which are now available from the National Railway Museum and Locomotion gift shops and online store.  

Craig Bentley became Interim Director of the National Railway Museum in January. He said: 

“I stepped on board as Director at the start of one of the most exciting years in the history of the railways. 

   “We have a truly exciting programme of activity ahead, and through our partnership with Railway 200, we are thrilled to be at the heart of a national celebration of the past, present and future of the railways.

“I can’t think of a better 50^th birthday present than a restored and revitalised Station Hall. I know how keen our visitors are to see the results of our hard work inside the space – with plenty of surprises still to reveal as we approach the reopening.”

 Station Hall has received a £10.5m programme of conservation and repair work, funded by the Department for Culture Media and Sport, including an entirely new, thermally efficient roof to protect the collection, new full-length rear windows and enhanced lighting. The refreshed exhibition has been made possible by a generous donation from lead funders, Friends of the National Railway Museum. 

Station Hall will also host a brand-new dining experience, with visitors able to book afternoon tea aboard a former London & South Western Railway dining saloon carriage, built in 1907 and restored by the museum. The museum’s popular outdoor play area and miniature railway will also reopen alongside Station Hall.   

Further improvements will also commence in 2025 on the museum’s brand-new welcome building, gallery and café, Central Hall, the next and most significant stage of a c£100m masterplan of improvement and investment that has regenerated and modernised the National Railway Museum and Locomotion.

The world’s most famous locomotive, Flying Scotsman, owned by the National Railway Museum, will play its part in the celebrations by returning to the track in 2025, with a mix of static display and operational trips.  

Flying Scotsman’s first engagement of the year at the Nene Valley Railway from 22 February has already been announced, with tickets now on sale from the Nene Valley Railway website. A full schedule of engagements will be announced in early 2025, including details of the locomotive’s visits to the National Railway Museum and Locomotion.  

The museum’s Flying Scotsman Story exhibition and immersive Flying Scotsman VR Experience will ensure that visitors can get their fix of the legendary engine throughout the year.   

Firm favourites such as Mallard, the Japanese bullet train Shinkansen, and Eurostar will continue to thrill visitors as part of an unrivalled collection of rail vehicles and objects at the museum, which welcomed almost 700,000 visitors last year and was voted Best Family Attraction in the 2025 Little Vikings awards.

STEM-focused interactive engineering gallery, Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery, will also launch a brand-new show from February half-term, ‘Ultrasonic’, demonstrating the cutting-edge technology used to detect faults on railway lines. 

On 1-2 February, the museum will contribute an ice sculpture, “50 Years of Railway Legends”, to the York Ice Trail, depicting one of the museum’s most enduringly popular locomotives, Mallard. 

Visit the National Railway Museum in 2025 as we celebrate our golden jubilee and 200 years of the modern railway with incredible exhibitions, iconic locomotives, and unforgettable events for all ages.