Christian Wolmar

Sleek, comfortable, accessible, and sustainable, high-speed rail is the future. Since Japan's Bullet Train first sped down the track in the sixties, it has become a global icon, as famous for its punctuality as for its speed. The French TGV, or Train á Grande Vitesse, established a template that was soon followed across Europe, in Italy, Germany and Spain But with a remarkable 30,000 miles of track built in fewer than twenty years China has become the world leader. Now with lines built or planned in over twenty countries, high speed rail has changed the world and, faced with the environmental cost of cars and air travel, might help save it. Two countries, both pioneers of rail travel, have been conspicuously left behind, though. The UK, which before the Second World War built record-breaking high-speed trains, has just sixty-eight miles of high-speed line and the unfolding embarrassment of HS2, while the United States has no genuine high-speed line at all. How can this be? In Fast Track, Christian Wolmar, our leading railway writer, tells the story of the irresistible rise of high-speed rail around the world for the first time. From the magnificence of Britain's steam-engined Mallard to a 250 mile per hour future, this is a story of big personalities, bold decisions, cutting edge technology, and soaring ambition. All aboard!

A new and updated edition of the classic history of the British railway, published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of train travel in 2025. The opening of the pioneering Stockton and Darlington railway, the world's first passenger line, in 1825 marked the beginning of the railways' vital role in changing the face of Britain. Fire and Steam celebrates the vision and determination of the ambitious Victorian pioneers who developed this revolutionary transport system and the navvies who cut through the land to enable a country-wide network to emerge. From the early days of steam to electrification, via the railways' magnificent contribution in two world wars, the chequered history of British Rail and the disaster of privatization, Fire and Steam examines the social and economical importance of the railway and how it helped form the Britain of today.

From the first steam trains to the high-speed bullet trains of today, Rise of the Railway tells the hidden stories of railway history - the inspired engineering, technical ingenuity, and sheer determination that forged the world's railways. Award-winning writer and broadcaster Christian Wolmar reveals how the railways were built not just on bold vision and technical expertise, but also on wild gambles and trial and error - and how the new era of trains brought about sweeping changes in the lives of people around the world. This book details the lives and work of railway pioneers such as George Stephenson and John Stevens, and it explores and maps famous railways such as the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Orient Express. Key technological innovations are explained with in-depth illustrations, while stunning photographs and paintings bring railway history to life on the page. Gripping eyewitness accounts describe the railways of the past through the eyes of people who were there. Packed with colourful stories, technical insights, and beautiful images, Rise of the Railway is the ultimate ride along the rails of history.

''Highly original'' Simon Heffer, Telegraph''Masterful... A gripping tale'' Giles MiltonThey certainly were not soldiers, yet they suddenly found themselves in uniform, in a foreign land. But, as locomotive drivers, track-workers, conductors, porters, signalmen and engine cleaners, they knew how to run trains. And their job was to bring them back to life.The Liberation Line tells the thrilling story of the British and American railway engineers who, in the months after D-Day, worked around the clock and in great danger to rebuild the ravaged railways of Europe and keep the Allied forces fuelled as they pushed on into Germany. As territory was taken, these soldier-railroaders were close behind, rebuilding the lines, putting up telegraph wires, replacing bridges and laying track, all the while dodging bullets, shells and booby traps.Tales of extraordinary feats and heroism abound, including how 10,000 men rebuilt a 135-mile-long railway in just three days; the reconstruction of the bridge over the Seine in two weeks while under bombardment; and the use of cigarette lighters as improvised signalling systems. Despite being critical to Allied victory, the role of the railwaymen has been largely forgotten or ignored. In a vivid and gripping narrative, Christian Wolmar brings to life this colourful cast of generals and engineers, without whose extraordinary bravery the liberation of France and invasion of Germany might well have foundered - and the course of history changed.