News

Turner 250 x Railway 200: Not only is this a momentous year for our railway, 2025 also marks the 250^th birthday of a much loved and respected ‘local’ artist on our patch – JMW Turner. You may have heard of him?

On Monday 5 May, Rochester station welcomed over 13,000 customers through its gates as they travelled to the annual Sweeps Festival - but this year was different from others as Station Manager Bev Rickwood put on a very special event to celebrate Railway 200 and commemorate VE Day, which raised nearly £3,000 for the Poppy Appeal.

• Bicentenary train, Inspiration, will visit Margate station from 20-21 July as one of 60 locations across Britain over 12 months, promoting rail innovation and careers.
• Inspiration will also visit London Waterloo station (18-19 July) and the Bluebell Railway (23-29 July) across Network Rail’s Southern region.
• More than 200,000 visitors expected.
• Tickets are now available to book for visits from 27 June to 1 October.

• Exhibition commemorating 200 years of railway opened to the public last week 

• Curator Mark Jones hosted opening event at Herne Bay’s Seaside Museum 

• Trove of vintage photos, posters and uniforms on display until 19 July  

• Erin Jessop, 12, wins design-a-bear contest with heart-themed teddy now joining station's mascot collection.
• Celebrations included arts and crafts, music, and a teddy bear’s picnic at the historic Elmers End station.
• Bear collection has raised over £2,000 for charity and supported community events, including during the pandemic.

• Southeastern and Hornby jointly unveil the new Railway 200 Class 395 ‘Javelin’ highspeed train
• 395015 carries a specially designed Railway 200 graphic and is also the first in the fleet to receive the new highspeed livery
• Unveiling held at Margate railway station – the home of Hornby – and attended by local businesses and attractions that have benefited from highspeed rail
• Investment in the fleet has helped to drive a post-pandemic record of just over 15 million journeys on domestic high-speed services in the last financial year

• 10,000 Advance tickets available for just £5 across Southeastern trains on 5 and 6 April

• Offer ties into Kent Big Weekend with attractions across Kent taking part.

• Tickets available exclusively via the Southeastern website and app from 22 to–28 March

In celebration of 200 years of railway history, Network Rail is offering exclusive tours at London Waterloo, London Victoria, and London Bridge stations. These tours, led by renowned railway historian Rachel Kolsky, will take you on a journey through time, revealing the fascinating development of these iconic stations.

An update from Southeastern colleague, Mark Jones, on behalf of the Seaside Museum, Herne Bay, and Whitstable Museum

• Bicentenary train, Inspiration, will visit Margate station from 20-21 July as one of 60 locations across Britain over 12 months, promoting rail innovation and careers
• Inspiration will also visit Waterloo station (18-19 July) and Bluebell Railway (23-29 July) across Network Rail’s Southern region.
• More than 200,000 visitors expected. Register to receive updates before bookings open

• The iconic ‘Network SouthEast’ livery has been restored on a Southeastern Networker train
• The train has been named ‘Chris Green’ in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the railway we know today
• Train painting and special event delivered in partnership between Southeastern, Angel Trains, Wabtec, Network SouthEast Friends and Network Rail
• The train will remain on the Southeastern network and will be used in regular passenger service as well as for charity rail tours and other Railway 200 events