How Trains Changed the World - Season 1

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Power and Empire: The Great Arteries

1 - Power and Empire: The Great Arteries

Air Date: November 26, 2018

One of the great advances of the 19th Century, the railways were a tool of empire. How did the Victorians use them to expand their influence?

The Great Workhorses: Trains That Move Loads

2 - The Great Workhorses: Trains That Move Loads

Air Date: December 3, 2018

From the Channel Tunnel to carrying iron ore in the Australian Outback, experts discuss the history and the future of freight trains.

Express Trains That Link Cities

3 - Express Trains That Link Cities

Air Date: December 10, 2018

Intended as an efficient, economical way of moving freight, the emergence of express trains revolutionised society with the demand for fast travel.

The Commute: Trains That Make Cities

4 - The Commute: Trains That Make Cities

Air Date: December 17, 2018

The world's 10 busiest metro systems carry more than 22 billion passengers every year. How has the train shaped cities - and changed the world?

Trains and War: Weapons and Logistics

5 - Trains and War: Weapons and Logistics

Air Date: December 24, 2018

As weapons and transport, trains transformed the battlefield - from huge railway guns and hospital trains to those taking victims to death camps.

The Love of Trains: Power, Prestige and Romance

6 - The Love of Trains: Power, Prestige and Romance

Air Date: December 31, 2018

Trains have changed the way people see the world - and each other. What is it that makes them so special?