Mail Rail Gets Accessible, Immersive Upgrade Ahead of Centenary Celebrations

The Postal Museum has unveiled its enhanced Mail Rail experience ahead of the underground railway’s 100-year anniversary in 2027.

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Visitors can now experience 270-degree views of the Mail Rail tunnels in the Mail Rail Explorer, an immersive space available for all visitors, designed especially for those who cannot or prefer not to travel on the miniature train.

Both the design and content for Mail Rail Explorer have been developed in close collaboration with the museum’s access advisory group. First formed in 2018, the group has worked with the museum to explore opportunities for an inclusive and accessible experience.

The Mail Rail ride itself has been enhanced with an updated audio commentary and a new audiovisual show on the first platform of Mail Rail’s Mount Pleasant Station. The project has been underpinned by investments in new hardware like projectors, servers and a new platform lift to increase accessibility.

The museum also teamed up with a number of people who worked on and experienced the railway before its closure in 2003 to bring the railway’s hidden world vividly back to life. This includes an engineer, a platform worker, an administrator and an inspector whose first-hand accounts of Mail Rail feature in the new AV show. Visitors will also hear from Beverley, who rode Mail Rail as a child and whose grandfather worked on the railway as an inspector.

A new accessible multimedia guide enables Deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors to experience the ride in new ways using mobile devices or loaned tablets. Visitors can now access British Sign Language and captioned videos synchronised with the ride’s audio commentary.

The Enhancing Mail Rail project has been made possible through the generous support of the Post Office Remembrance Fellowship and Arts Council England.

This transformative project comes as The Postal Museum prepares to mark the centenary of Mail Rail with a major Mail Rail 100 programme running throughout 2027.

When the Post Office Underground Railway – now known as Mail Rail – came into operation in 1927, the driverless, electric trains provided an innovative solution to the problem posed by streets congested with motor vehicles, buses, trams and even horse-drawn carriages.

In 2027, a new exhibition will celebrate Mail Rail and other innovations spearheaded by the postal service, focusing on those who have engineered creative ways to keep the mail moving. The exhibition will focus on stories of invention, engineering and experimentation behind the post – including lessons to be learned from those ideas that didn’t deliver.

The museum, which will also be celebrating its tenth year since opening, will mark the occasion with a programme of events, including hands-on trails, drop-in arts and crafts activities, and lively science shows.

Laura Wright, CEO of The Postal Museum, said

“Through the brilliant work of our access advisory group and the generous support of the Post Office Remembrance Fellowship and Arts Council England we are thrilled to be able to open Mail Rail up to a much wider audience. Creating a more accessible, equitable experience for all visitors is a key milestone for the museum as we approach Mail Rail’s centenary in 2027.”

George, member of The Postal Museum’s access advisory group, said

“From the outset, disabled people have been at the heart of Enhancing Mail Rail. Over the course of six years, groups of people with a variety of disabilities have tested numerous proposals to make the Mail Rail experience accessible to all. The professionalism with which the accessibility project was managed and delivered made it a pleasure to be part of.”

Alan Bealby, Chair of Post Office Remembrance Fellowship, said

“We were delighted to support The Postal Museum to improve access to their Mail Rail ride and to share the stories of the GPO workers that kept the mail moving through its 100-year operation with an even wider audience. An important part of PORF’s history is the work the Fellowship delivered providing practical help and support for their fellow workers, particularly those impacted by the First and Second World Wars.”

Isabel Wilson, Arts Council England Interim Director of Museums, said

“Enhancing Mail Rail is about increasing the appeal and the impact of the Mail Rail ride as an integral part of the visitor experience at The Postal Museum. The museum shares important stories and plays a significant role in our cultural life and identity, and what’s especially brilliant is the museum’s visible and genuine commitment to ensuring its work reflects the diversity of this great city.”