Shame there isn’t a train service direct to Tate Liverpool, maybe a canal boat would be more appropriate now. I’m seriously thinking about putting an artinliverpool.com sticker on my car, I wonder if the head of Renault will come and unveil it.
Today Virgin Trains will commemorate Tate Liverpool’s twentieth anniversary by naming a Virgin Pendolino train after it, in what is a rare accolade for a museum or gallery. The dedicated train, unveiled at Liverpool Lime Street station, also marks Virgin Trains’ commitment to bringing visitors into Liverpool in its year as European Capital of Culture to enjoy cultural attractions such as Tate Liverpool.
Tate Liverpool is the home of the National Collection of Modern Art in the North of England, and the most popular gallery of modern and contemporary art in the UK, outside London. A symbol of the regeneration of Liverpool’s waterfront, Tate Liverpool has continued to attract in the region of 600,000 visitors a year since it opened in 1988, and so far this year the Gallery has welcomed 879,147 visitors (January – August 2008). These visitors to Tate Liverpool contribute over £16 million to the city region economy every year (annual average for 2006 and 2007).