A MUSEUM has been honoured with its third major award in the past few years.

The National Railway Museum, in York, has been named joint winner of the 2002 Dibner Award for Excellence in Museum Exhibits.

It received the accolade for its outstanding Shinkansen exhibition, featuring a Japanese Bullet Train. The display is one of the most popular at the museum and has been seen by an estimated 800,000 visitors since it opened in July last year.

Already named the European Museum of the Year and Yorkshire Visitor Attraction of the Year 2001, museum bosses are pleased to have won another significant award.

Its head, Andrew Scott, said: "We are delighted that the Shinkansen exhibition has received such international acclaim. Bringing the Bullet train all the way from Japan was a real feat and, in some ways, a bit of a gamble for us."

The award will be presented at a ceremony in Toronto, Canada, next month.

The museum is open daily from 10am until 6pm, except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Admission is free.