The Second Age of Rail: A History of High-Speed Trains Hardcover – July 6, 2015

Paging through this book I was struck by the excellent maps! I later learned that they perfectly corresponded with place names in the text. The maps alone are unique among books on high speed rail. The photos are not exhaustive but are certainly well chosen as atmospheric examples of each system's character. The exemplary maps allow the text to be followed easily. There is a sub-theme of high speed records throughout the text that I did not expect to be interested in. Quite the contrary, like the entire text I found this fascinating too. You learn enough of the records to not only share in the excitement of them but also to glimpse the momentous technical challenges. The text is, for a well-read enthusiast, a perfect balance of technical, political, economic and geographic discussions. It is the best, most helpful and most up-to-date summary of the growth of high speed rail worldwide. Included are short but fascinating discussions of California, Morocco and Turkey! Naturally, there is much more extensive coverage of the larger systems. Italy and Spain get the attention that they deserve from their impressive systems. The only time I felt myself becoming confused was in the chapter on China. Some families of trains have four different names. Realizing this, I came to rely more heavily on the boxes summarizing the names, performance and numbers of each family that is helpfully provided in that chapter. I have only ridden on a handful of these systems, but I left feeling very well acquainted with the rest.

Why has the United States become a third-world, or third-class nation? Our rail system is pathetic, and our highway system is also inferior to that of all other major developed countries. This is an excellent book that provides useful information about what can be achieved.

Really well written, interesting overview of high speed. Difficult to put down once you start reading. Clearly very well researched and with excellent photos.

Quite infomative.

Excellent book.Highly Reccomend.

Really enjoyed reading the book

Incredible, amazing. I am an Architecture student and this seminal piece of work has had a massive benevolent impact my work