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Celebrating 200 Years of Rail – and Looking Ahead with Nomad Digital

PRESS RELEASE

(Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, 2nd October 2025)

Celebrating 200 Years of Rail – and Looking Ahead with Nomad Digital

This year marks a remarkable milestone in rail history: the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, which began in the North East of England. In 1825, the Stockton and Darlington Railway carried the world’s first public passenger train, igniting a transport revolution that would shape societies, economies, and connections across the globe.

Two centuries later, the rail industry continues to evolve, driving sustainability, accessibility, and innovation. As the birthplace of passenger rail, the North East stands as a proud symbol of progress, and at Nomad Digital, headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, we are honoured to celebrate this heritage while contributing to rail’s exciting future.

Shaping the Future of Rail Connectivity

For nearly two decades, Nomad Digital has been at the forefront of digital transformation in rail. From pioneering onboard Wi-Fi to delivering advanced connectivity, infotainment, and AI-driven solutions, our goal is simple: to support transport operators and rail builders in creating smarter, safer, and more connected journeys for passengers.

Today, our technology is deployed across fleets around the world, helping operators keep passengers connected, improve operational efficiencies, and unlock the potential of data-driven insights.

Launching Our New About Nomad Digital Video

To mark this historic anniversary, we are proud to launch our new About Nomad Digital video, showcasing who we are, what we do, and how we are working alongside operators and industry to shape the next 200 years of rail travel.

Emmanuel Henry, Managing Director of Nomad Digital, comments:

“The world’s first steam locomotive to pull a passenger-carrying train on a public railway took place in the North East of England exactly 200 years ago. The train was hauled by Locomotion No. 1, built by Robert Stephenson and Company in Newcastle upon Tyne, where Nomad Digital is proudly headquartered. That spirit of innovation is certainly something we are very proud to carry forward at Nomad Digital. As rail faces challenges of rising passenger expectations and digitalisation of services, our role is to help operators create the connected journeys of tomorrow. This anniversary is not only a chance to celebrate the past, it’s a moment to look ahead to what rail and the next generations can achieve in the future 200 years.”

 

 

 

Celebrating Together: Alstom’s Greatest Gathering

As part of this historic year, Nomad Digital  proudly joined our parent company Alstom at their The Greatest Gathering event at Derby Litchurch Lane Works bringing together rail professionals, heritage groups, industry leaders and the public to celebrate 200 years of innovation and look ahead to the future of transport.

Read more here

As we reflect on 200 years since the first passenger railway journey, we also look forward to the decades ahead. The rail industry is embracing sustainability, digitalisation, and passenger-first design – and Nomad Digital is proud to play a central role in that journey.

As a global company with North East headquarters, we are honoured to celebrate rail’s rich heritage in the region while also shaping its digital future worldwide.

Here’s to celebrating 200 years of rail, and to continuing the innovation that will define its future.

About Nomad Digital

Nomad Digital is a world leading provider of passenger, fleet management and monitoring solutions to the transport industry.

Nomad Digital are experts in delivering high performance train to ground connectivity. This enables it to provide a broad solutions portfolio which both transport operators and builders around the globe can integrate into their onboard environment to improve levels of passenger satisfaction, connectivity and infotainment whilst also increasing the operational efficiency of their fleet.

Nomad Digital is the pioneer of the Connected Journey – a shared and secure network infrastructure to which all authorised onboard systems and passenger devices may connect.

 

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