Over a thousand people visit Inspiration train over two days at Margate station

The visit of a special exhibition train attracted over 1,000 people during its two-day stopover at Margate station on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 July, showcasing the jobs and careers that the railway can offer, as well as the social purpose that has driven it for two centuries, connecting people and goods with places across the country.

At a special event at the station, local representatives joined with people from the tourism sector in Thanet including Dreamland, the Turner Contemporary and the Crab Museum, with market stalls also present from several organisations. A local conservator presented archaeological finds discovered when the original South Eastern Railway was built in the 1840s.

Steve White, managing director of the South Eastern Railway, said: “Since 1846 the railway has played an important role in the Thanet community supporting access to employment, education and leisure. We are now the first in a new era of integrated railways, under public ownership, working to support thriving communities through increased access to opportunities.

“Through targeted recruitment to enable social mobility, and the development of our people through a huge apprenticeship programme recently ranked 24 in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2025, we are making a difference. 

“Looking to the future, we want to attract a whole new generation of talent to consider a career in railway. On board Inspiration, visitors are seeing how young people are already building exciting careers in rail whether you’re interested in cyber security, sustainability or piloting a drone. Not all careers on the railway are what you might expect.”

The Inspiration train has already received an award from VisitEngland for its Outstanding Contribution to Tourism as part of the organisation’s Awards for Excellence 2025.

Emma Roberts, programme manager for Railway 200, a cross-sector, Government-backed bicentenary campaign, said: “This special exhibition train is set to become a new, national visitor attraction, providing an unforgettable experience for hundreds of thousands of people across Britain, including many schoolchildren.  It will excite, enlighten, entertain and inspire them to take a fresh look at the railway, as part of its anniversary celebrations.”

Curated in partnership with the National Railway Museum, Inspiration is the only exhibition train on the rail network and will help to attract the next generation of pioneering talent to the railway. The train opened to the public at the end of June and will criss-cross Britain for 12 months, visiting 60 locations and showcasing rail’s past, present and future. 

Over 200,000 people are expected to visit the train this year, with ​Inspiration continuing its tour of the south east this week at Horsted Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway, between 23 and 29 July. The train will also visit London Victoria between 18-20 December, and it is hoped to confirm further dates in the south east for 2026 later this year.

No passengers will be carried on the train as it travels to its exhibition sites.  Booked visits will begin at 10am and the last entry will be at 4pm. The train will close at 5pm. Visits are expected to last up to an hour, and a virtual tour of the exhibition experience is available for those who are unable to visit in person.

To book and find out more about Inspiration visit www.railway200.co.uk/inspiration. For more on Railway 200 and how to get involved visit www.railway200.co.uk.