Celebrations are coming to Winnersh next year when the village will celebrate 200 years of railway.
Festivities will be part of Railway 200, which will mark two centuries since the first railway line opened between Stockton and Darlington in 1825.
The Community Rail Partnership has been in discussions with Winnersh Parish Council to mark the occasion.
Winnersh train station was first opened on January 1, 1910, and was originally known as Sindlesham and Hurst Halt. It was renamed as Winnersh Halt 20 years later, before being shortened to Winnersh in 1969.
Nearby Winnersh Triangle opened on May 12, 1986.
Both stations lie on the Reading to London Waterloo Line, and are close to Earley, Reading and Wokingham.
Proposals for celebrations at both stations were discussed by Winnersh Parish Council members at a meeting last month.
On January 1, 2025 a plaque will be installed at Winnersh station ticket office. The design will include a steam train and the original name of the station, Sindlesham and Hurst Halt.
The Walter family, who created the Sindlesham village, will create a historic noticeboard which will be installed at the station. The family built the nearby Bearwood House in 1864, which has become Reddam House.
Rail 200 murals will be created under the railway tunnel by Bearwood, Wheatfield, Winnersh and The Forest Schools. There will be multiple themes to these, including the opening of the first line between Stockton and Darlington, the opening of the railway through Winnersh, the creation of the third rail in the 1930s and the opening of Winnersh Triangle station.
The mural designs will require agreement from Network Rail and the public, and an artist to create the pieces will also need to be found.
Celebrations are likely to take place at Winnersh Triangle later on in the year, on May 12. This would also include the unveiling of a plaque at the station, and schools will be asked to join to celebrate the opening of the station.
Winnersh Parish Council members agreed to make available funding for both projects, but estimated costs are not yet known.
The Railway 200 campaign will take place across the country next year to ‘showcase how the railway shaped and continues to shape national life’.
