Exhibit train back to mark 200 years of rail travel

A special train with hands-on interactive exhibits is returning to the West of England to celebrate 200 years of public rail travel in the UK.

Inspiration is a mobile exhibition which toured the country last year as part of national celebrations, and its tour has now been extended due to its popularity.

It will be hosted at Minehead on the West Somerset Railway and will also travel to Bristol for the first time in March.

The anniversary marks the opening of the world's first public line to use steam trains - the Stockton and Darlington railway - in 1825.

Bernadette Sachse, Network Rail station manager for Bristol Temple Meads, said: "We look forward to welcoming guests to our station.

"It's an exciting time for Bristol Temple Meads and hosting the Railway 200 train here is a fitting way to reflect on Bristol's proud rail heritage while looking ahead to the future of the railway."

A project by Railway 200, and co-curated with the National Railway Museum, Inspiration features exhibits on how railways changed the world, hands-on displays on railway engineering and on how the future of the industry might look.

More than 60,000 people have already explored the exhibition at 60 stops nationwide and more than 2,000 people visited when the train stopped at Bishop's Lydeard near Taunton in November 2025.

Rail minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said: "With this train, we're not just looking to the past, we are inspiring the diverse next generation of engineers, drivers, conductors and technicians, and shining a light on what the railway is delivering today."

Tickets are free and available in advance, with the national tour ending in June.

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