THE multi-million pound transformation of the National Railway Museum’s (NRM) Great Hall has moved a step closer after receiving a cash boost to develop the scheme further.

The Leeman Road site has been handed a £200,000 development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) which will enable it draw up more detailed plans for its NRM+ project.

The project will see the creation of what the museum describes as a “state-of-the-art visitor experience in the Great Hall”.

Multi-sensory, multimedia and interactive exhibitions will tell the story of how railways have shaped the modern world.

Thousands of smaller museum treasures including posters, tickets, pottery and uniforms will also be displayed alongside much-loved giants, including Mallard and the Japanese Bullet Train – many of which will be on display to the public for the first time.

Andrew Scott, director of the NRM, said: “The HLF development funding is a fantastic first step towards our goal of raising £20 million to redevelop the Great Hall. The National Railway Museum is already one of the most successful and most-loved museums in the UK, attracting more than 850,000 visitors per year. Our future plans will enable us to be even better and take our visitors on an even more exciting journey to discover how railways helped shape today’s world.”

Being awarded £200,000 in the first round of grants means the museum will now automatically progress to the second stage of the HLF application process with a bid for a further £6.8 million grant. NRM bosses hope the massive upgrade of the museum will boost York’s tourist industry by bringing in more than a million visitors every year.

NRM+ is planned to open in the spring of 2012 to coincide with the London Olympics and wider cultural celebrations throughout Yorkshire. The museum will remain open throughout the redevelopment and a programme of events and exhibitions is planned in the run up to 2012.