A series of public consultations were being held this week to help to shape the future of the region’s railway heritage in the run-up to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.
September 2025 sees the bicentennary of the initial journey on the world’s first passenger railway with an exciting programme of schemes, projects and events planned to celebrate the vision and innovation that led to its creation.
The first passenger line runs through Aycliffe and alongside Hitachi’s new state-of-the-art factory on Aycliffe Business Park.
One key aim of the programme is to create a world class visitor centre to tell the stories of the pioneers and inventors of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the line itself and the impact it has had on local communities and around the world.
Tees Valley Combined Authority is hosting a series of events this week for people to have their say on work carried out to date, and to express their views of what the key stories should be, at drop-in events during February half-term to capture people’s thoughts and ideas.
Events were being held at Preston Park Museum in Stockton on Tuesday (February 19) and at the Locomotion in Shildon on Wednesday (Feb 20), while a third drop-in session is planned for Saturday (Feb 23, 11am-3pm) at Head of Steam Museum in Darlington.
If you are interested in having your say but cannot get to one of the events, then please get in touch by emailing the Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage project manager at [email protected]
