ROLLING stock leasing firm Porterbrook has announced a £2.5 million sponsorship deal with the National Railway Museum for a Railway Futures Gallery, described as a key component of the museum’s Vision 2025 masterplan.
The gallery is planned to provide an interactive experience that explores the role of railways in transport systems of tomorrow. It is planned to open in 2025 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the museum being in York, and will be a key feature of Central Hall – the new building to be built over Leeman Road to join up the museum’s current Great Hall and Station Hall. Work on the new Central Hall will begin once an alternative highway for Leeman Road traffic has been completed, but Station Hall is to close from January for an estimated 18 months for vital improvements and a new roof to protect the Grade II-listed structure. Great Hall and North Shed will remain open during this time.