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200 years of rail

Find out more about the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway, which revolutionized travel, transport and the world.

Bicentennial anniversary

2025 marked a huge milestone for rail, with the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway, which took place on 27 September 2025. The date commemorated the world’s first passenger train journey by Locomotion No. 1, which travelled the 26 miles from Darlington to Stockton in 1825.  

Since then, the rail industry has continued to lead the way, not only in industrial and technological innovation, but in social progress and development. This legacy lives on today and continues to pave the way for a brighter, more sustainable future. 

Read on to discover the story of rail through the years, and celebrate the rich history of the rail community. 

From then to now

As the railway continues to rapidly evolve and becomes more digitally-driven, there will be myriad new skills learned and new careers created for people from all backgrounds, that will help to contribute to a more sustainable future for us all.

While BTP and its administrator Railpen are built on heritage, we're also focused on the future. Our collective purpose is to secure our members' future while also having a positive impact on the world they will retire into.

If you’d like to read about our approach to creating a sustainable future – known as Sustainable Ownership – visit our Sustainable Ownership Hub. 

Railway 200 Logo TM
Railway pensions spearhead campaign to champion savers and drive UK economic growth

Railpen, administrator for BTP, has joined forces with the UK's leading pension schemes. Together, the schemes are championing savers' interests and aiming to drive UK economic growth through a new Governance for Growth Investor Campaign (GGIC). 

Investing in the UK for a brighter future 

The money you pay into your BTP pension is invested carefully by the Trustee, who work with Scheme administrator Railpen to design and deliver investment strategies across a range of sectors and markets here in the UK.  

This approach secures members’ financial futures while also creating a fairer, greener world for us all to retire into.

Celebrating 200 years of local heritage 

In 2025, Railpen was proud to play a leading role in Darlington’s inspiring scheme to give every primary school-aged child in the town a free ticket to Wagon Woods – the railway-themed adventure play park at Hopetown, Darlington.