The Postal MuseumVisit usWhat to expectMail Rail

Mail Rail

Included in Museum Ticket
Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 - 16:00
Suitable for all ages

What is Mail Rail?

Located across the road from the exhibition galleries and café, Mail Rail is a small train which runs underground. Initially designed to transport mail, Mail Rail reveals the story of the postal service’s subterranean world beneath the streets of London.

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SKIP TO SECTION
  • Ride and exhibition
  • Ride rules
  • Ride accessibility
  • Mail Rail Explorer
  • Reduced Access ticket

Ride and exhibition

  • See the unchanged station platforms, deep below Royal Mail’s Mount Pleasant sorting office.
  • See and hear the people who worked on it, experience their lives below ground and glimpse hidden parts of the railway that once kept the mail coursing through London for 22 hours every day.
  • Discover interactive exhibits that bring to life more than 100 years of postal engineering.

 

  • A woman with brown hair and a red museum uniform waves at a departing miniature red train. A father and son are sitting in one of the carriages, waiting for the ride to depart.

    The ride

    Descend into the one hundred year old former engineering depot of Mail Rail – the Post Office railway – and board a miniature train into the original tunnels.

  • A slideshow plays on the walls of a train platform. The slideshow is projecting photographs of old trains, with the words 'Mail Rail' on display. Dark tunnels are visible at the end of the platform.

    Audio-visual show

    Take in a theatrical experience that travels back in time to the railway’s lively 1930s heyday. Our award winning audio-visual presentations will guide your way.

  • A smiling woman is stepping into a red miniature train. She has blonde hair and is wearing a black top and trousers. Other passengers on the train are smiling.

    Mind your head!

    Mail Rail was designed to carry mail, not people. Check Ride accessibility to see if a ride on Mail Rail is right for you.

  • Two boys and two girls play with an interactive exhibition. They are holding red and blue wooden boards and focusing on their activity.

    Interactive exhibits

    From sorting mail on a Travelling Post Office, to seeing the curious inventions that inspired it all, our fun filled displays get you even closer to the action.

Ride rules

In the event of an evacuation, guests must be able to walk unaided for a minimum of 100 metres on uneven surfaces with minimal lighting, and up at least 70 steep steps.

Guests must be able to transfer themselves onto the ride, leaving any aides in the storage provided next to the platform where visitors will both board and disembark.
No loose items, including handbags, are permitted on the ride. Items must be left in the cages provided. We do not accept any responsibility for loss, theft or damage to personal items.
Visitors of all ages can ride, but children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18.
No food or drink
Guests under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol will be refused entry
May not be suitable for those sensitive to: small spaces, motion, loud noises, flashing lights.
Pushchairs and buggies must be left in the buggy park in the Mail Rail building.

Ride accessibility

The Mail Rail ride may be unsuitable for small children, those with physical or mobility issues, claustrophobia, or a pre-existing condition that could be made worse by loud noises, flashing lights or confined spaces.

Adult visitors seated in pairs inside a miniature train carriage, smiling as they look out through the windows.

Inside a carriage

  • Mail Rail entrance and Welcome space are on the ground floor with step-free access. The ride is on the lower ground floor, accessible via a lift and stairs. Our Floor plan gives more information.
  • Visitors descend to 21 metres (70 feet) underground through tunnels no wider than 2.1 metres (7 feet) at their narrowest point.
  • The ride lasts approximately 15 minutes, including boarding and disembarking back at the depot.
  • The ride contains pitch darkness, loud noises and flashing lights. The use of these effects are limited.
  • The ride has a maximum speed of 7.5mph (12 kph).

 

  • Carriage dimensions head on viewDiagram showing the dimensions of a miniature train carriage. Carriage width is 80cm. Height from seat to canopy in 87cm. Height from floor to canopy is 130cm.

  • Carriage dimensions profile viewDiagram showing the distance between the seats of a miniature train carriage. The distance between seats is 43cm.

Mail Rail Explorer

The Mail Rail Explorer is an immersive experience available on the lower ground floor of Mail Rail, next to the ride itself. Designed especially for visitors who cannot or prefer not to travel on the trains, the space is open to everyone.

The Mail Rail Explorer offers unique views of the tunnels and platforms as they once were, bringing the railway’s past vividly to life.

  • This space contains moving projections that may create a sensation of motion. Changing position may reduce this effect.
  • The film lasts approximately 10 minutes and plays on a continuous loop.
  • The recommended capacity is 10 people at a time.
  • Seating is available for those who most need it.
  • This space contains an induction loop.
  • If you require assistance or have any questions, please speak to a member of The Postal Museum team.

Reduced Access ticket

We recognise the Mail Rail ride is not fully accessible and presents barriers to access for some of our visitors. 

If you are unable to ride the train due to these access barriers, please opt for this discounted ticket which includes entry to the exhibitions and a companion ticket. 

We recommend contacting the Booking Support Team at [email protected] to find out more about this ticket type and the access rules in place.

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