PM in £3 million cash boost for National Railway Museum

Sir Keir Starmer said the money will go towards the museum’s new Central Hall and will enable final contracts to be signed as soon as next week, allowing work to begin on the flagship project.

It comes after the attraction received £15 million in government funding under the Conservative government in 2024 which then deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, committed to when Labour came to power.

The government said the funding boost will help the museum, part of the Science Museum Group, to address increased costs stemming from addressing the complexities of ‘stopping-up’ Leeman Road, which ran through the museum, splitting the site.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer with housing secretary Steve Reed at York Central on Thursday (June 4) (Image: Dylan Connell)

Sir Keir, speaking to The Press during a visit to the nearby York Central site on Thursday (June 4), said he had visited the NRM and it is a “fantastic museum”.

“It’s a great set up and part of who we are as a country,” the prime minister said.

“The look of it, the feel of it, the smell of it are all fantastic – I really enjoy being there.”

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Sir Keir said the extra £3 million in funding for Central Hall, due to open next year, will help “take it to the next stage”.

“I’m really pleased we’ve been able to put forward this money – and I look forward visiting myself but also thinking about all of the people who will be visiting in the future and the experiences they will have,” he said.

An impression of the inside of the Central Hall at the National Railway Museum in York. (Image: National Railway Museum)

The new-look NRM is touted to be the "cultural anchor" of York Central – one of the largest city-centre brownfield regeneration projects in Europe. Work on York Central is continuing apace, redeveloping former railway land to create 2,500 homes and a commercial quarter creating up to 6,500 jobs.

Sir Tim Laurence, chair of the Science Museum Group, said it was “hugely grateful for this timely announcement by the prime minister”.

“It represents a strong vote of confidence in the National Railway Museum’s contribution to the York Central project, which will deliver lasting change for the people of York and the millions who visit this great city each year.”

Craig Bentley, director of the NRM, said the funding boost will allow the NRM to “look forward to signing the contract for our ambitious Central Hall project within days, with construction beginning next month”.

“By investing in the museum’s transformation, the government is not only supporting changes that will engage hundreds of thousands more visitors with Britain’s railway heritage, it is also driving growth and opportunity for the city of York and the wider region.”