Celebrating the past, present and future of UK rail

Supporting the National Railway Museum in inspiring future talent through its ambitious masterplan.

2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway – the railway on which the first public steam-hauled fare-paying passenger journey took place. From that moment our railways have had an indelible impact on our daily lives – from connecting communities, to opening access to public services, and to bringing goods more quickly and more closely to our doorsteps.

Through the founders of our business, Basil Mott, David Hay and David Anderson, Mott MacDonald has played a pioneering role in the design of complex rail tunnels and systems dating back to 1890.

This includes working on the world’s first deep tube electric rail line and developing ground-breaking solutions for precast concrete tunnel lining, and it stretches forward to the present day with our design and engineering teams delivering transformative rail projects such as HS2 Phase One, the Elizabeth Line, the Northern Line and Jubilee Line extensions.

Railways are deeply embedded within the heritage of our company, and our people, as much as they are across the UK. They represent among the greatest of outcomes for infrastructure delivery, while also presenting some of the most challenging feats of engineering.

That is something to celebrate – recognising the fantastic achievements of the past and inspiring what new heights we will reach in the future. Curating the story on those innovations is no simple task, but it is at the heart of what the National Railway Museum in York has been doing since it was established in 1975.

That is why we are proud to announce that Mott MacDonald has committed its support to the National Railway Museum on its masterplan. We are the principal sponsor to its Railway Futures Gallery, alongside Porterbrook as headline sponsor. The Railway Futures Gallery will offer immersive experiences exploring the future role of rail, looking at everything from electrification and emerging technologies to sustainable rail systems and future innovations.

The UK government has also recognised the vital role that the National Railway Museum has to play in telling the story of our railways for generations to come, announcing in the March Budget a £15 million investment from the Levelling Up Fund to support the museum’s ambitious and transformative redevelopment.

This significant contribution will safeguard the museum’s plans for the future of its estate and collections care, and inspire the next generation with the past, present and future of the railways, and we are excited to be partnering with them on this great railway journey.

Read more about our capabilities in rail.

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Discover more on the National Railway Museum’s development plans.