The Bluebell Railway in East Sussex has received a £250,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

This quarter of a million-pound grant is to finance attractions and exhibitions for the Railway 200 celebrations.

Several other special events are in the pipe line and will also be taking place across the country next year, at heritage lines, railway museums and on the national rail network.

This is the second sizable grant given to a heritage group that is being put towards Railway 200 celebrations. The first was a £90,000 grant to restore the former original Stockton & Darlington Station at Heighington in County Durham.

A portion of the £250,000 is to be spent on the restoration of Horsted Keynes Station, which will host the Bluebells Railway 200 celebrations in August 2025.

At the moment Horsted Keynes is part way through its Jewel in the Crown restoration, with platform 5 already complete with works progressing on platforms 3 & 4.

Works on platforms 1 & 2 are also underway, but more crucial repairs are needed to get the whole station ready for its starting role next summer.

The world’s first passenger-carrying railway, the Stockton & Darlington Railway, opened in 1825. It is this double centenary of the opening of this railway that is leading to a national programme of events to celebrate this milestone.

The Bluebell Railway is planning to mark this significant anniversary with a major event – Railway 200 @Bluebell Railway, which will feature not only exhibits from railways of the past, fitting for a heritage railway, but also exhibits from railways of the present and railways of the future.

Railway 200 @Bluebell Railway is set to welcome the public in August 2025.

Leading up to this, during the latter part of the summer term, the Bluebell Railway is preparing to accommodate numerous school children for educational and career-focused visits, which include the opportunity to ride behind on a steam train. Due to limited school budgets, the Bluebell Railway is seeking sponsors to support these educational excursions.

“We are delighted by this support from the Heritage Fund which will enable us to put on a great show for everyone to enjoy and we hope find educational”.

Neil Glaskin, Bluebell Railway PLC Chairman

“We exist not just for the conservation of the UK’s Railway Heritage, but to educate and enthuse young people a general interest in Railways. Both we and the rail industry urgently need an injection of youth to take up careers in the Railway Industry.”

Roy Watts MBE, chairman of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society