Railways of the Great War with Michael Portillo

Released: 2014-08-04

Runtime: 30 minutes

Episode Overview

Michael travels through Britain and northern Europe uncovering railway stories from the Great War. He begins his quest in the French city of Metz on European tracks built with war in mind, charts the birth of the railway war at a small station in Luxembourg and discovers how Britain's railways coped with the challenge of sending thousands of troops to join the conflict from Southampton. Finally, he returns to France to learn how the early war of movement gave way to the stalemate of the trenches.

Series Overview

Michael Portillo examines the role of the railways in World War I and travels through Britain and Europe uncovering stories from the Great War.