About

Rocket: All Aboard is a bold, people-led national programme celebrating the bicentenaries of the Rainhill Trials (2029) and the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (2030), the world’s first inter-city passenger railway.

This is more than the story of a railway; it is the story of an innovation that reshaped the modern world. From powering the Industrial Revolution to transforming travel, trade and communication, it changed how people lived, worked and connected across the globe, inspiring railway networks and transforming societies worldwide. It brought extraordinary innovation and opportunity, alongside profound social, cultural and environmental change, and the programme will explore both its celebrated achievements and its complex legacies.

Working across Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester, Rocket: All Aboard will bring together communities, museums, archives, libraries, artists, universities, the rail industry, local authorities and cultural organisations to co-create a nationally significant programme of heritage, culture, learning and participation, while reconnecting the global railway family with the place where the world’s railway story began. Its legacy will be stronger partnerships, empowered communities, lasting environmental action, a strengthened Community Rail Partnership, enhanced visitor experiences, and renewed national and international recognition for one of the world’s most significant heritage landscapes.

Rocket: All Aboard will:

  • Celebrate internationally significant heritage.
  • Deliver a year long programme of activity and three major creative programmes designed for maximum audience engagement.
  • Put people and communities at the heart of its programme.
  • Increase participation in heritage from underrepresented audiences.
  • Support creativity, learning and skills.
  • Grow the visitor economy .
  • Encourage sustainable travel and environmental stewardship.
  • Strengthen cross-regional partnerships.
  • Create a lasting legacy beyond 2030, including the continuation of the Liverpool to Manchester Community Rail Partnership.

By bringing together heritage, culture, learning, creativity, sustainable travel and community participation, Rocket: All Aboard will demonstrate how shared heritage can help shape prosperous, inclusive and resilient places.

'This isn’t simply a story about railways, it’s about a moment that reshaped the world. From powering the Industrial Revolution to transforming global travel, it changed how we live, work and connect. It came with challenges as well as progress, and this project brings that full story to life, beyond tracks and stations, focusing on the people, places and impact that still shape our world today.'

Laura Pye. Director, National Museums Liverpool & member of the Rocket: All Board Executive Steering Group.