A hidden code displayed on the side of a Great Western Railway Intercity Express Train is finally being opened up to public scrutiny after remaining a mystery for four years.

The operator has challenged passengers and railway enthusiasts to decipher a concealed message incorporated into the special ‘Trainbow’ livery carried by IET 800008, which was named in honour of pioneering codebreaker Alan Turing in May 2022 by members of the Turing family.

While the sequence of letters appears random, Great Western Railway has confirmed it contains a secret message and is inviting members of the public to crack the code before the anniversary of Turing’s birthday on 23 June.

Clues will be released through the operator’s social media channels, with successful entrants entered into a prize draw to win one of five commemorative coins produced for the train’s naming.

“When we named the train after Alan Turing back in 2022, we did give a little hint that there was more to the design than first meets the eye. It’s remained unchanged for the past four years, and no-one has ever come forward with a suggestion, so we decided to up the ante a little by running this special competition.

“GWR has a long history of naming trains after Great Westerners, the past and present heroes from across our network, and we were proud to add Alan Turing to that list. I’ve got a feeling he’d have enjoyed this hidden message and the thought of train travellers doing their best to crack the code.”

Dan Panes, GWR Head of External Communications.