THE National Railway Museum in York is set to reopen from lockdown on May 19 with a new exhibition about ‘Railway Heroes’ of the pandemic.

The museum in Leeman Road, which houses more than 100 carriages and locomotives including Mallard and Rocket, has been shut since New Year’s Eve but can welcome visitors again as pandemic restrictions ease.

Free tickets were released online from yesterday, with ticket numbers limited to timed slots to help keep people safe.

The Railway Heroes photographic exhibition will celebrate 16 railway key workers and their role in the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic, ranging from keeping the country moving to sewing PPE in their spare time.

Stephanie Hart, who works in IT Services at Network Rail and whose story is part of the exhibition, said: “It was amazing to see people making items for the NHS, putting up hospital beds, delivering food parcels and medication and giving up their time to volunteer to help others.”

A museum spokesperson said that from May 19, visitors would also be able to enjoy a new audio trail offering the chance to delve a bit deeper into the museum’s history, accessible for free via smartphone and taking listeners back to a time when the museum’s Great Hall was a busy engine shed.

The popular road train that runs between the museum and Duncombe Place will also run a regular service from May 19.

Director Judith McNicol said a range of measures had been introduced, including additional cleaning, hand sanitisers, signage and reduced capacity to help with social distancing and ventilation.

Although delayed as a result of the coronavirus, the museum’s major new exhibition Trans-Siberian: The World’s Longest Railway will open from June 24, with tickets available from May 26.