Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced £3 million in additional funding to unlock progress on the National Railway Museum’s vital Central Hall project.
The funding boost helps the museum, part of the Science Museum Group, to address increased costs stemming from addressing the complexities of ‘stopping-up’ Leeman Road, which ran through the museum, splitting the site.
The investment, building on support from DCMS in 2019, will allow the museum to sign the main construction contract on the project within days, enabling main construction work to begin on this flagship project. Central Hall will be instrumental in driving visitor growth and inspiring the next generation as a gateway to the past, present and future of the railways.
Speaking to journalists, Sir Keir described the NRM as a “fantastic museum…It’s a great set up and part of who we are as a country.” He added: “I’m really pleased we’ve been able to put forward this money – and I look forward visiting myself but also thinking about all of the people who will be visiting in the future and the experiences they will have.”
The transformed National Railway Museum will be the cultural heart of York Central, a 45-hectare brownfield regeneration scheme. York Central is turning underused railway land into a distinctive new city quarter with residential neighbourhoods, civic spaces, and high-quality commercial real estate in one of the UK’s most historic and desirable cities.
Sir Tim Laurence, chair of the Science Museum Group said: “We are hugely grateful for this timely announcement by the Prime Minister. It represents a strong vote of confidence in the National Railway Museum’s contribution to the York Central project, which will deliver lasting change for the people of York and the millions who visit this great city each year.”
Director Craig Bentley said: “Thanks to the Prime Minister’s announcement today we can look forward to signing the contract for our ambitious Central Hall project within days, with construction beginning next month. By investing in the museum’s transformation, the Government is not only supporting changes that will engage hundreds of thousands more visitors with Britain’s railway heritage, it is also driving growth and opportunity for the city of York and the wider region.”
Central Hall is a groundbreaking new building that will sit at the heart of the redesigned National Railway Museum site, the gateway to the transformed museum. A bespoke building by award-winning architects Feilden Fowles, recognised for championing sustainable design, Central Hall sets a new sustainability benchmark for the National Railway Museum and will provide level access throughout the museum for the first time.
The striking circular building will reference historic locomotive ’roundhouses’, creating a world-class welcome. Designed to tell the story of rail’s future as well as its past, the building will introduce dynamic new interpretive spaces such as a new ‘Futures Gallery’, spotlighting how emerging technologies are shaping the next era of rail.
Designed to tell the story of rail’s future, Central Hall will introduce a dynamic new gallery Railway Futures: The Porterbrook Gallery, exploring ideas of innovation and inviting visitors to imagine the future of rail travel through interactive engagement.
Image credit: Science Museum Group
