MARJ MAYO recommends a lyrical and disturbing account of the tragic suicide in Venice of Pateh Sabally, a refugee from the Gambia
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The case for the railways
WILL PODMORE welcomes a demonstration of the incomparable virtues of rail travel, and the political obstacles to realising its potential
RATIONAL FUTURE: Passenger and freight train on the West Coast Main Line in Warwickshire, England
[G-Man/CC]
In the face of Trump’s brutal aggression, DODIE WEPPLER and TRISH MEEHAN invite you to share some of the masterpieces of Cuban cinema
ANDY HEDGECOCK recommends an unflinching analysis of the billionaire class that celebrates collective resistance to it
MARIA DUARTE and ANGUS REID review The Bride!, The King’s Warden, Sound of Falling, and Mother’s Pride
CHRIS SEARLE speaks to Nicaraguan guitarist OMAR RIOS MELENDEZ
SIMON PARSONS applauds an outstanding one woman show that weaves real poems and narratives into the story of one girl’s flight
How the railways will fix the future: rediscovering the essential brilliance of the iron road
Gareth Dennis, Repeater, £10.99
IN this splendid book, railway engineer Gareth Dennis urges the vital importance of railways. As he argues, public transport does not need inventing. We’ve solved the technology challenges for urban and long-distance transport, just as we have solved the problems of getting clean water and generating electricity.
We have all the skills and tools we need to solve our problems. All we lack is the political will, not the technological capability. He asks, should the railways be nationalised? And answers, yes, absolutely, but adds that this is only the first small step on a much larger journey.
The idea that there can be meaningful competition in a complex network like the railways is bizarre. Railways should not be competing with each other. Their real competition is with road and air.
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