On September 27 1825 a steam train crowded with excited passengers travelled 26 miles from Shildon via Darlington to Stockton in north-east England. It broke down on route, and one man fell off and had his foot crushed. But the journey is recognised as the birth of the railway age, which was to transform human mobility, business and social life around the globe.
Two centuries later, trains remain an essential means of transport for many millions of people and billions of tonnes of freight. But the bicentennial celebrations are tinged with regret that in much of the world investment in railways has languished behind roads and air for many decades.
A rail revival is overdue on grounds of environmental sustainability alone: trains, especially powered by green electricity, emit far less pollution per kilometre than cars or planes. A reliable and widely accessible rail network also brings a range of social and business benefits, from reducing individual loneliness and community isolation to increasing economic mobility.