A GOVERNMENT minister has praised the National Railway Museum’s latest exhibit, and said plans for the attraction’s expansion are “really exciting”.

Michael Ellis, minister for arts, heritage and tourism, visited the NRM yesterday to see Tim Peake’s Soyuz capsule and find out more about the museum’s £50 million plans for expansion.

Mr Ellis said the Soyuz had brought a 33 per cent increase in footfall when it had been displayed in Bradford, and he expected it to have a similar effect in York.

He said: “It’s an absolutely extraordinary thing to see. I’ve had the great privilege of looking inside it through the glass, and I can absolutely understand the excitement of the thousands, tens of thousands of people who’ve been visiting.

"I’m quite confident here at this location in York there’s going to be a further increase in footfall because it’s an extraordinary thing to see and already here in this amazing museum of the railways you’ve got so much to see, it accounts for well over 700,000 visitors a year. I don’t know of any other locations anywhere outside of London that gets those sort of visitors.”

The minister was given a briefing on the attraction and plans for the future by museum director Judith McNicol.

She said: “It’s been great this morning to have the opportunity to take the minister around the museum to really see what it is we’re looking to achieve with our £50 million redevelopment across the site - how we can look to bring the railways past, present and into the future as part of our story for our thousands of visitors we’d like to bring to the museum.

"It’s also really refreshing to be talking about investment outside of London and into the North.”

Mr Ellis said: “Frankly, I think this is an amazing project and we wish them all the very best.

“There are some really exciting plans to redevelop this museum and they look very, very exciting indeed and I can see that when they come into fruition it’s going to be transformative - it’s going to really make a difference. I see increased footfall - the Science Museum group work that’s being done here is really special and I think it’s going to be great for the city as well, the whole region is going to benefit from this.”

Mr Ellis said the Government would work with the museum to support the revamp “with a view to trying to help things along”.

He said: “There’s more to come, you’ll have to watch this space.”