Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, is celebrating following its record-breaking railway festival – The Greatest Gathering – receiving an Outstanding Contribution accolade at the Made in the Midlands Awards 2026.
Marking the bicentenary of the modern railway, The Greatest Gathering took place at Alstom’s 90-acre Derby Litchurch Lane Works in August 2025. More than 40,000 railfans came to witness in excess of 140 rail vehicles at Alstom’s biggest rolling stock factory, while millions more enjoyed The Greatest Gathering virtually around the world.
The three-day extravaganza – the world’s largest-ever railway festival – also marked the first time in almost 50 years that Alstom’s Derby site had opened to the public and has raised over £100,000 for good causes. The Greatest Gathering was supported by around 500 Alstom volunteers, and several hundred more from the wider industry and heritage sector, including the National Railway Museum and Network Rail.
“To receive an Outstanding Contribution award is a huge honour for everyone involved in delivering The Greatest Gathering. What started as an ambitious idea quickly became a truly collective effort, bringing together colleagues, partners, volunteers and the wider ‘railway family’ to celebrate 200 years of transport innovation in the place where so much of that history has been made,” said Kathryn Lancaster, Communications Manager at Alstom and co-organiser of The Greatest Gathering.
She added:
“Opening our Derby Litchurch Lane Works to the public for the first time in nearly half a century was incredibly special. Seeing tens of thousands of people engage with rail’s past, present and future – while raising significant funds for good causes – is a testament to the passion, pride and teamwork that sits at the heart of Alstom. This recognition belongs to everyone who helped make The Greatest Gathering such a memorable and meaningful event.”
Insider’s Made in the Midlands Awards – this year held on Thursday 23 April at the Macdonald Burlington in Birmingham – recognise the best products, innovations and ideas from the UK region’s world-class manufacturing sector over the past 12 months.
“Engineering giant Alstom hosted the largest-ever railway festival at its historic Derby train factory to celebrate the 200th anniversary of rail travel. Showcasing not only the past, but the future of the industry, the event had a clear focus on inspiring the next generation and putting the Midlands at the centre of two centuries of technological innovation in the travel sector,” noted the Made in the Midlands Awards 2026 judges.
After winning their category in the Midlands edition, Alstom now goes forward to the national finals – the Made in the UK Awards 2026 – which will be held on Thursday 19 November at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.
The Greatest Gathering has already secured an Operational Excellence Award at the Young Rail Professionals (YRP) Awards 2026 and a Project Team Award at the RailStaff Awards 2025, while the organisers were given the Star Team Award at the 2025 Heart of Gold Awards. The festival was bestowed a Special Award at Modern Railways’ Golden Whistles Awards, in association with the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators, and then took home Bronze for Festival or Event of the Year in the Peak District, Derbyshire & Derby Tourism Awards.
Elsewhere, Kathryn Lancaster herself recently won the Distinguished Service Award at the YRP Awards 2026. Hailing from South Wingfield in Derbyshire, the 57-year-old – who has worked at Litchurch Lane for almost 38 years – has also been shortlisted for the Adeline Ginn Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Women in Rail Awards. Alstom has been nominated for five accolades overall ahead of the ceremony held in London next month.
Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, Derby Litchurch Lane Works is one of the world’s largest rolling stock factories, and the only UK facility that designs, engineers, builds and tests trains for domestic and export markets. The factory was opened by the Midland Railway in 1876 and the city of Derby has been building trains continually since 1839. In 2022, Derby was chosen by the Government as the home of Great British Railways following a vote by the public between contender cities.