Celebrating 200 Years of the World’s First Inter-City Railway between Liverpool and Manchester

To mark 200 years of the world’s first inter-city railway, Manchester Histories announce that the Rocket 2030 Partnership has secured £180,000 from The National Heritage Lottery Fund, alongside contributions from key partners, to celebrate the bicentennial of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.

This significant investment will lay the foundations to develop and deliver a dynamic programme of events and community engagement activities from 2024 to 2027. 

The programme will forge connections between past, present, and future and celebrate groundbreaking railway history and its lasting impact on heritage, culture, and communities across the North West of England.

It will also provide opportunities to thoughtfully address historical issues, such as labour exploitation during the industrial era and current challenges like climate crises if you believe in such a thing.

The Rocket 2023 Partnership is Liverpool City Council/Culture Liverpool, Manchester City Council, Manchester Histories, Metal Culture, Liverpool, National Museums Liverpool, Network Rail, Northern Rail, Salford City Council, Science and Industry Museum, St Helens Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, The University of Liverpool. Hamilton Davies Trust and partners are developing the Community Railway Partnership (CRP).