Sales suspended for historic train gathering event

Sales of tickets for a major gathering of historic railway vehicles has been suspended due to "unprecedented demand" from "around the world".

Derby train manufacturer Alstom will open its factory for the first time in more than 50 years in August to showcase a number of vintage trains - celebrating the 200th anniversary of the world's first passenger train service.

On Thursday, Alstom told the BBC its third-party ticket provider website "struggled to cope" and made a decision to suspend sales until its "provider's servers can handle the expected web traffic".

A spokesman said tickets for the Greatest Gathering event were still available, and details of when sales resume would be promoted on their website.

The BBC understands the event has had interest from people in Australia, Canada and other countries.

One person who tried to secure tickets contacted the BBC about the problems.

He said: "It's been a day of chaos for anyone trying to buy tickets for this event. Quite simply, the ticket website couldn't cope and rolled over.

"Even when they put more measures in place, it was still almost impossible to actually get through the checkout. Some did...but whether they got a ticket or not remains to be seen."

More than 50 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways will be on display, featuring a combination of those powered by steam, diesel and electricity.

The event will feature rides along Derby's test track, and a variety of narrow-gauge trains will be in operation. Fairground attractions, street food and live music will also feature.

Up to 30,000 people are expected to attend the three-day event, which will form part of the wider Railway 200 festivities.

The industry is embarking on a year-long celebration named Railway 200 to mark the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in north-east England on 27 September 1825, which is credited as being the birth of the modern railway.

An Alstom spokesperson said: "After Thursday's fantastic announcement regarding The Greatest Gathering happening at Derby Litchurch Lane in August, our ticketing provider's site struggled to cope with unprecedented demand from around the world.

"Even with a queuing system in place from mid-morning, this was not enough – and it will take time to secure additional capacity.

"With that in mind, we have made the decision to suspend ticket sales until we are confident that our provider's servers can handle the expected web traffic.

"Rest assured, there are still thousands of tickets available across the three days and those who have already received a booking confirmation will receive their e-tickets in due course."

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