The Untold Railway Stories

by Monisha Rajesh, Esmée Cook (Narrator), Andrew Martin

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 Myanmar's highlands to the British Pennines, from slow travel between coffee plantations in Borneo to a cross-continent odyssey on African railways, from the pioneers of the American West to European trains in war, 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 the first passenger railway line.

Genres: Transport

Audible Audio

Published January 16, 2026

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!!