Sporting an eye-catching livery, visitors young and old will go on a journey of discovery exploring the railway’s 200-year story of innovation, brought to life by interactive exhibitions and hands-on activities.
What's inside Inspiration?
Curated in partnership with the National Railway Museum, Inspiration’s exhibition carriages are:
- Railway Firsts: Showcasing groundbreaking innovations in railway history
- Wonderlab on Wheels: Offering engaging hands-on activities to explore the science and engineering behind railways
- Your Railway Future: Uncovering some of the more hidden roles in rail and encouraging people to consider a career in rail to shape the next 200 years
The first three months timetable
| Date | Location |
|---|---|
| 27 June – 6 July 2025 | Severn Valley Railway, Kidderminster, Worcestershire |
| 8 – 10 July 2025 | Birmingham Moor Street station |
| 12 – 15 July 2025 | London Euston station |
| 18 – 19 July 2025 | London Waterloo station |
| 20 – 21 July 2025 | Margate station, Kent |
| 23 – 29 July 2025 | Bluebell Railway, Sussex |
| 1 – 3 August 2025 | Alstom’s Litchurch Lane site, Derby (for ‘The Greatest Gathering’) |
| 7 – 10 August 2025 | Norwich station, Norfolk |
| 11 – 14 August 2025 | Lowestoft station, Suffolk |
| 16 – 17 August 2025 | Freightliner Doncaster Railport, South Yorkshire |
| 23 – 31 August 2025 | National Railway Museum, York |
| 10 – 17 September 2025 | Darlington station, County Durham |
| 20 September – 1 October 2025 | Locomotion Museum, Shildon, County Durham |
Answers to questions
Bookings will open shortly after Easter. By registering your interest below, you’ll be among the first to know about event updates, including dates, locations, and ticketing information via email.
Yes. Admission to the train will be free, but normal entry charges to heritage railways and private sites where it is located will apply.
We welcome group bookings of up to 30 people. Please note that due to the nature of the experience, we are unable to offer private or exclusive sessions. However, we’ll do our best to accommodate your group together within a regular time slot.
Yes, by registering your interest below, you’ll be among the first to know about event updates, including dates, locations, and ticketing information via email.
Yes. We’re keen that as many people as possible have the opportunity to visit and have as enjoyable and educational an experience as possible. The train is not designed for mobility scooters.
Those who are unable to visit the train in person should be able to enjoy a virtual visitor experience.
There is no age limit for visitors. The exhibition train offers something of interest for all age groups to enjoy.
Yes, you can certainly visit the train more than once during the tour! However, we encourage visitors to consider attending just once if possible. This allows us to share this unique experience with as many people as possible during its 12-month journey.
Inspiration will visit about 60 locations across England, Scotland and Wales over 12 months. This will include every region in England.
Register your interest
We’ll be announcing details of how to book free tickets shortly and you can get the inside track, straight to your inbox, by signing up for email updates today.
We anticipate high demand for this unique experience.