The high-speed train race

Are we entering an era when robots will finally liberate people, and particularly women, from the drudgery of housework? There is certainly a buzz around domestic robots right now and every month seems to bring us a new autonomous machine that can fold your clothes or stack your ...  Show more

One of the first recorded examples of a marriage ceremony is dated more than 4000 years ago in Mesopotamia. And it seems that through the ages, weddings have never lost their appeal. The global wedding industry is today worth billions of dollars, and it is one that keeps on growi ...  Show more

As the new Labour government introduces its landmark legislation to nationalize the railways, host Emilio Casalicchio asks: How do we get the trains to run on time? He travels to Japan, where privatized high speed trains whiz passengers between cities at 300 mph and delays are me ...  Show more

In this week’s Flightless Bird, David talks to a man who lived as a train hopper for two years. They talk about the lifestyle, dangers and chaos of illegally hitching rides across America using the railroad system. The country’s first train tracks were laid down in the 1820s - an ...  Show more

Depuis leur invention, les trains n'ont cessé de repousser les limites de la vitesse. Des premières locomotives à vapeur qui effrayaient les passants avec leurs 50 km/h jusqu'aux bolides modernes, l'évolution est spectaculaire. Aujourd'hui, plusieurs pays se disputent le titre du ...  Show more

The Biden administration announced it’s putting $8 billion toward expanding the U.S. rail system. Travel by train is climate-friendlier than flying or driving, and in parts of Europe and Asia, it’s commonplace. So why has the U.S. been slower to build high-speed rail? Also in thi ...  Show more