Hello, my name is Sandeep
and I’m here to take you on
a journey through 200 years of passenger rail!
The modern passenger railway in Britain
began 200 years ago with the launch
of the Stockton and Darlington line
on the 27th of September 1825.
Affordable train travel
allowed thousands of Britons to go on holidays
far from home for the first time.
People flocked to the beach, creating a tourism
boom in many of the seaside towns we still enjoy today,
like Blackpool.
In 1923, an impressive 270,000 people
travelled by rail to the first FA Cup Final held at Wembley Stadium!
Bolton Wanderers beat West Ham two nil, by the way.
Fast forward to the beginning of this century
and Community Rail partnerships began to engage with people
along the railway -
just like we're doing now!
We upgraded many stations in 2012
to welcome nearly 700,000 visitors from around the world
for the London Olympics.
In 2023,
more than 5,000 Armed Forces personnel
travelled by train to London Waterloo
for the Coronation of King Charles the Third,
and in the same month
Liverpool Lime Street station became a hub for international fans
when the city hosted Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine!
As you can see,
there have been many moments to mark
culture, heritage and tourism
on the railway over the last 200 years.
If you'd like to find out more
about how we're marking 200 years
of passenger rail travel,
visit railway200.co.uk