Portillo's Greatest Railway Journeys

Michael explores how politics, domestic and international, have shaped the railways. He recalls the political decisions which green lit the great North American transcontinental railways.

Michael Portillo celebrates over a decade of railway adventures across the world. In this episode, he looks at how railways gave birth to modern tourism. The first railway companies were quick to spot a business opportunity, as was George Bradshaw, who quickly published his descriptive guidebooks, whetting the appetites of thousands less wealthy than the aristocracy for travel.

Michael examines how railways have shaped the world economy. He recalls how the first tracks were laid to shift coal and iron ore, using animals or winches, long before locomotives were invented.