The Untold Railway Stories

by Monisha Rajesh (Editor), Shahnaz Habib, Clare Hammond

A compendium of fascinating and evocative new writing on railway travel and history. Telling of little known journeys and uncovered histories on railway routes around the world - from the UK, Europe and Africa to North America, the Middle East and Asia.

From the Burmese highlands to the British Pennines, from the history of a precipitous coastal stretch of Indian railroad to a cross-continent odyssey on African railways, this is a new prism through which to explore human lives, and global landscapes, politics and history.

The Untold Railway Stories is a testament to both the joy and impact of train travel - to the ambition and ingenuity, and also to destruction and sacrifice within its history - and is published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of first passenger railway line.

Genres: Transport

320 pages, Hardcover

Published December 9, 2025

About the author

Monisha Rajesh was born in King’s Lynn in Norfolk and grew up all over England. She read French at the University of Leeds and taught English at a high school in Cannes before studying postgraduate journalism at City University London. She has written for the London Evening Standard, The Guardian, TIME magazine and The New York Times.

Reviews

[Polly Starkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved The Baku Barnstormer, Iron Bravery & How to not hack your travel (best till last I guess). Would love to read whole books of these!!