Substantial support for the National Railway Museum has been announced by Porterbrook with a huge £2.5m sponsorship agreement

The gallery will form a vital part of the railway museum’s Vision 2025 plan and will see a multi-dimensional, interactive facility which investigates the future of railways and transport systems.

2025 marks the museum’s 50th birthday and plans are afoot which will see the gallery open to coincide with this milestone as a major feature of the Central Hall which will be a brand new building and welcome space positioned between the Great Hall and Station Hall.

A key part of Vision 2025 is Central Hall which will transform the museum in order to move forward to becoming the World’s Railway Museum which is anticipated to attach approximately 1.2m visitors each year.

Porterbrook is a British rolling stock company that owns around 1/4 of the national passenger rail fleet. The company has an impressive and established reputation for delivering new technologies such as battery, hybrid and hydrogen-powered trains. Porterbrook’s innovative approach to the UK’s Net Zero aims will see air quality improve, and reductions in emissions whilst supporting and enhancing the network’s resilience.

A decade-long relationship between Porterbrook and the National Railway Museum has led to this partnership alongside an ongoing joint vision for the use of sustainability, innovation and digital technology to create the railway of the future. Further to this, both organisations are extremely focused on the promotion of STEM in order to support future generations to utilise science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the creation of an innovative future railway.

Mary Grant, CEO of Porterbrook said: “The National Railway Museum plays a hugely important role in curating rail’s history and heritage while articulating a vision and ambition for its future. Porterbrook is at the forefront of innovations which are shaping the railway and we are delighted to support the museum’s Railway Future’s Gallery to help inspire the railwaymen and railway women of tomorrow.”

Judith McNicol, Director of the National Railway Museum said: “The new Railway Futures Gallery is a key part of the museum’s Vision 2025 masterplan and through a mix of fixed and changing displays, an immersive media-led experience and on-gallery programming, we will showcase the most exciting engineering projects and highlight the role of innovation on the railway. Thank you to Porterbrook for its generous support.”

The name of the gallery will be revealed at a later time further to the completion of audience testing with ‘Railway Future: The Porterbrook Gallery’ as the current working title.

Additional funding in order to complete Vision 2025 is currently being sought by the National Railway Museum.