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Hello, my name is Sandeep

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and I’m here to take you on

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a journey through 200 years of passenger rail!

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The modern passenger railway in Britain

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began 200 years ago with the launch

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of the Stockton and Darlington line

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on the 27th of September 1825.

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Affordable train travel

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allowed thousands of Britons to go on holidays

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far from home for the first time.

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People flocked to the beach, creating a tourism

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boom in many of the seaside towns we still enjoy today,

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like Blackpool.

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In 1923, an impressive 270,000 people

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travelled by rail to the first FA Cup Final held at Wembley Stadium!

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Bolton Wanderers beat West Ham two nil, by the way.

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Fast forward to the beginning of this century

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and Community Rail partnerships began to engage with people

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along the railway -

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just like we're doing now!

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We upgraded many stations in 2012

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to welcome nearly 700,000 visitors from around the world

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for the London Olympics.

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In 2023,

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more than 5,000 Armed Forces personnel

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travelled by train to London Waterloo

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for the Coronation of King Charles the Third,

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and in the same month

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Liverpool Lime Street station became a hub for international fans

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when the city hosted Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine!

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As you can see,

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there have been many moments to mark

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culture, heritage and tourism

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on the railway over the last 200 years.

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If you'd like to find out more

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about how we're marking 200 years

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of passenger rail travel,

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visit railway200.co.uk