With celebrations for Railway 200 starting as early as New Year’s Day 2025, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) and the National Railway Museum (NRM) are launching two competitions with first-class prizes up for grabs.

Aimed at the younger generation, children are invited to show their ideas by drawing what they think trains, surrounding infrastructure and staff uniforms will look like in 200 years.

The competitions are divided between two age groups. 12 to 17 year olds are encouraged to design the trains of the future, paying particular attention to the external and internal features of a train.

The first prize winner for ages 12-17 will be a complete tour of an Azuma train including a ride in the driver’s cab of a mainline train, a turn behind the wheel of the Azuma at mainline speeds on the LNER Training Center simulator, and LNER first class tickets will also be allocated to them and their families.

Children aged 11 and under were given the idea to design uniforms that railway workers could wear in the future, including for existing roles and potential new positions that will arise in the future of rail transport.

The winner of this prize will have their design made and adapted for them to wear by LNER’s uniform supplier, Dimensions.

They will also receive first class LNER tickets for themselves and their family.

As part of the competition, children must take their time when designing to think about the many ways in which the railway and the world could change over the next two centuries.

The best designs must illustrate how they can meet the needs of LNER staff or customers, the communities along the ECML route and the natural world along the tracks, will be warmly welcomed by the selected team of experts from the LNER and members of the NRM on the jury.

The competition will run until Friday December 13, 2024.

2025 marks the 200th anniversary of maiden passenger journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway considered by many to be the birth of the modern railway.

Railway 200 is a national celebration taking place across the UK and around the world next year, honoring railway history and motivating a new generation to consider a career in rail.

“At LNER we are always looking to the future, exploring how our trains can be more sustainable and how we can continually improve our customers’ journeys. This competition is a great opportunity to see how young people see the evolution of rail. We can’t wait to see some brilliant designs and interesting ideas and we might even discover some future railway engineers in the making! »

Linda Wain, Director of Engineering at LNER