How the Railways Will Fix the Future: Rediscovering the Essential Brilliance of the Iron Road

Great overview of the historical failures in rail policy

Gareth Dennis's book is a powerful polemic promoting a realistic way forward for transport, which is now the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions. His account is rooted in a clear appreciation of the history of the iron way and a deep understanding of the engineering involved, but it is really accessible for non-experts as well as those who already 'get' the railways. We are assailed on all sides by vociferous proponents of fancy new and unproven technologies, but this book shows all too clearly why tried-and-tested rail transport will be a better way out of our current situation.

A powerful manifesto with coherent, followable logic. Where some books are full of academic waffle, this reads more like a podcast - with accessible language that would not alienate someone unfamiliar with railway speak. Anyone who has ever used public transit on a trip to London, Paris, New York and wondered, “why isn’t my town like this? What if it was?”, you should read this book.

Gareth Dennis delivers an urgent call to reassess how we travel and organise our society. Dennis delivers a brisk but fascinating overview of the history of the railways all the way back to the ancient Greek Diolkos, including their use for industry, oppression and freedom over the last century. He segues this into an analysis of the role that modern day railways should play as a low-energy, low-carbon alternative to personal cars - which improve access to education, healthcare and employment for everyone - including non-drivers, who are frequently excluded in our modern car-first society. A star is lost for a sometimes hasty presentation which can jump about a little - I was easily able to understand, being familiar with his YouTube series Railnatter, style of presenting and having some background knowledge. However, this will not really detract from the enjoyment a layperson will gain - a couple of paragraphs here and there may simply benefit from reading twice to understand the thrust of Gareth's urgent message. All in all, an important book to have on your shelf.

A great book that really conveys the importance of railways to the 21st century. The book explores challenges faced by railways around the globe with a particular focus on the UK and to a lesser extent Western Europe, while also assessing the merits of potential solutions. I particularly enjoyed the section on railways and technology and how Railway companies have often been at the forefront of innovation in computing. Moreover, the parts on the links between slavery and the railways is something I haven't seen addressed often and Dennis does a great job of highlighting this. My only small gripe with the book is that it can feel a little bit repetitive in parts. While I understand that modal shift and the fight against climate change underscore a lot of the points in the book, reading the book it felt like it was mentioned a little bit too many times at the start of a topic or point. Naturally when reading a point its important to keep them in mind, but I felt I didn't need reminding of them as often as is written. Aside from that, I would recommend to anyone interested in the history and the merits of rail transport.

Comprehensively thought through and offers an exciting alternative to the increasingly untenable do-minimum status quo with rail at the heart of future mobility, based on an examination of what works and doesn't work in rail systems the world over.

An excellent book by Gareth Dennis, covering the history of railways from antiquity in the Diolkos, through the Industrial Revolution right up to today. Plenty of useful data and useful information for further research is throughout the text, but keeping it very readable and hard to put down. For any railway advocate, an excellent book and one I'd suggest everyone should have a copy of!

An insightful book explaining Railways have the potential to play a significant role in shaping a sustainable, efficient, and interconnected future.

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A thoughtful read

If you're interested in railways, whether you're an expert or just starting out, this is a must-read. Dennis is a great communicator and he makes an exceptionally compelling case for why railways are so important to our future(, present, and past). He also shines a light on some of the things that are often overlooked in the discussion.

... so I could experience this book for the first time again! 10/10 Must read!

train good, car bad