Peter Gibson, MP, has asked the Government how they plan to commemorate the bicentenary of the passenger railways during Culture, Media and Sport Questions in the House of Commons.
The Stockton and Darlington Railway will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its creation in 2025 and Ministers have confirmed that there are cross departmental plans in place to commemorate this event.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Gibson asked the Government to outline who will be taking responsibility nationally for the delivery of the bicentenary celebrations and if the Department for Culture, Media and Sport would commit to providing some seed funding to pull together a delivery body for the three local authorities that serve the original route of the Stockton and Darlington railway.
Responding to Mr Gibson, Sir John Whittingdale MP, Minister of State for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries, confirmed that plans are underway to commemorate this event and that the Department for Transport will be heading up the plans for the anniversary.
This question builds on the work Mr Gibson has already been doing to ensure the celebrations of the bicentenary are commensurate to its importance. Mr Gibson has already met the heritage minister and reached out to Sir Peter Hendy, the chairman of Network Rail, to discuss this important anniversary. He is now urgently seeking a meeting with Secretary of State for Transport on this matter.
Mr Gibson will continue to work with the many organisations of importance on this issue in the lead up, namely:
• Darlington Borough Council
• Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
• Durham County Council
• Friends of the Stockton & Darlington
Railway
• The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
• Network Rail
• Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership
• Historic England Head of Steam –
Darlington Railway Museum
• Tees Valley Combined Authority
The work of these organisations will be integral to ensuring the celebrations are a success and truly show off the rich railway heritage of the North East.
