The Inspiration train is now open to the public at Birmingham Moor Street station as part of its tour around the country, celebrating the bicentenary year of the first passenger railway opening in 1825.
The train, which started its nationwide tour at the Severn Valley Railway, is expected to play host to over 1,000 people a day during its time at Birmingham Moor Street station.
The city of Birmingham, known for its manufacturing, metal working, textiles and glassware industries, is situated just to the east of the Black Country, which itself is well known for coal and iron ore mining.
Taking the historical element the West Midlands played in developing the railway network and the role it played in the industrial revolution, the Inspiration train presently conveys a special exhibition on board showcasing the history and present-day roles that the railways of the West Midlands have played throughout their existence.
While on display at Birmingham Moor Street, the train comprises four coaches. Featuring a Railway Firsts carriage, Wonder Lab on Wheels carriage, Your Railway Future carriage & the West Midlands Partner Zone carriage.
Together, the coaches showcase the history of railways, host interactive displays, highlight the many roles and current vacancies in the rail industry, along with the history of rail in the West Midlands and its plans to grow its rail connectivity through partnerships between Network Rail, Train Operating Companies and Community Rail Partnerships.
The train will be at Birmingham Moor Street station until the 10th July and is open from 10 am – 5 pm. Advanced booking slots are closed, but a handful of walk-up slots are still available on a daily basis for those who have decided to take a spontaneous trip to see the exhibition train. These slots are only available on a first-come, first-served basis.
“We are delighted to be part of the event at Moor Street to celebrate 200 years of Rail.
It is great to be able to look back at the history of rail and also to look ahead to the many exciting rail projects that are taking place across the West Midlands.”
Mal Drury-Rose, Executive Director of the West Midlands Rail Executive
“We are thrilled to be part of this celebration of all things rail.
It is especially significant for Midlands Connect to exhibit about our flagship project, Midlands Rail Hub, which has recently secured funding from Government to continue development. It will make train travel a first choice for many more people, boosting connections to 50 stations across the Midlands.
The railways of the future will see faster more frequent services, boosting opportunities and strengthening our economy.”
Andrew Clark, Rail Programme Lead at Midlands Connect,
Responses
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I am looking forward to visiting the Inspiration Exhibition Train when the next dates are revealed, hopefully in the Northampton area. I looked on Realtime Trains to see when, and by which route, it would be travelling to its next stop at Euston; but I couldn’t identify it at all between 10th and 12th July.
Are future journeys being publicised? Thank you.
More dates are in this article https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2025/06/inspiration-train-locations-confirmed-for-2025-tour.html
Visited yesterday afternoon. It’s fantastic. There’s something for everyone here whatever your age. The quality of the conversion and repainting work is very high as is the content of the exhibition.