Written to tie in with a BBC2 series, this book examines the enormous impact of railways on the modern world. The coming of the railways heralded a new world order dominated by industrial innovation and corporate enterprise. Across the world competing powers carved up territories with railways, using them to plunder resources and build modern cities. Railways helped to bind together vast empires in India, Russia, Africa and Latin America, and forged the union of the states of America. Today, after 150 years of railway supremacy followed by its decline, there is a renaissance. While France vies with Japan to create the fastest train on earth, the Chinese see a future for steam power in their coal-rich country. The Channel Tunnel is only one example of the many projects under construction throughout the world, from new tunnels under the Alps to bridges across the Baltic. The author's other books include "Return Train" and "The World the Railways Made".