A global history of high speed rail, from the railways' \"wisest, most detailed historian\" (The Observer)
Awesome machines. Incredible engineering.
The story of high speed rail is one of of politics, international rivalry, success and failure. It is a truly global race toward innovation, from competitions between rival rail companies during the golden age of steam in the UK, to the legendary Japanese bullet train (built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics), and from the French TGV through to China’s increasing dominance in the field. Yet astonishingly, in over sixty years of cutthroat competition there has never been a high speed rail fatality.
\"High priest of railway studies\" Christian Wolmar brings the story of high speed rail to life like none else can.
Acknowledged as one of the UK's leading commentators on transport matters, Christian Wolmar is an award-winning writer and broadcaster specializing in transport, and the author of a series of books on railway history. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, regularly appears on TV and radio, and writes for a wide variety of publications including The Times, The Guardian, The Oldie, and Public Finance. His books include The Great British Railway Disaster (1997), Stagecoach (1999), Down the Tube (2002), The Subterranean Railway (2004), Broken Rails (2001, updated 2005), On the Wrong Line (2005), Fire and Steam (2009), Blood, Iron and Gold (2009), Engines of War (2010), The Great Railway Revolution (2013), and Railways and The Raj (2017). He has been described as "our most eminent transport journalist" by The Spectator and "the greatest expert on British trains" by The Guardian.
