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Hi! I'm Luke

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and I'm a Level Crossing Manager.

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I'm here to talk about the people of the railway

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over the past 200 years!

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Did you know,

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our workers kept the railway going during both World Wars?

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Trains were used to move troops

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and vital supplies across Britain and Europe.

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Wilston Samuel Jackson

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became the country's first black train driver in 1962.

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He went on to drive the famous Flying Scotsman!

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In 1966,

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Asquith Xavier became the first black train guard at London Euston,

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bringing an end to a ‘colour bar’ at British Rail.

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British and French engineers

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made a breakthrough beneath the English Channel in 1990.

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Four years later, the Channel Tunnel opened

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allowing train travel between both countries for the first time.

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And let's not forget,

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in 2020, during COVID-19, our colleagues

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kept the country connected

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and railways running as essential workers.

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As you can see,

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people on the railway

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have achieved a lot over the past 200 years!

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If you'd like to find out more about how we're marking

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200 years of passenger rail travel,

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visit railway200.co.uk