Modern Trains and Splendid Stations: Architecture, Design, and Rail Travel for the Twenty-First Century

Inter-city rail travel is one of the dominant facts of modern life. In the wake of the railway renaissance of the 1980s and 1990s, new train stations from the US to Japan must respond to increasingly complex challenges, as high-speed trains become more and more common and the next generation of magnetically levitated trains approaches. The state-of-the-art examples featured in Modern Trains and Splendid Stations are analyzed from several perspectives: as generators of urban renewal; as new architectu

Designers of the few new station projects in the U.S. Across the varied designs, one discerns a commitment to light and structural lightness: Lisbon's Oriente Station features a vaulting train shed that mimics the nave of a Gothic cathedral. Concomitant with the old nag's rejuvenation, new train stations are going up, mostly, but not exclusively, in Western Europe and Japan. Another common feature is the accommodation that stations make to high-speed trains, most avidly by builders in France, Germany, and Japan. This book, along with the editor's informed elucidation, makes a c

Martha Thorne is Associate Curator of Architecture at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Excellent book about trains and rail stations I did not finish the book yet, but already love it. It has details about modern train designs and modern stations constructions, with some details about old stations, like Grand Central Terminal in NYC. A must read for anybody with an interest in arhitecture, engineering, transportation, or urban planning.. gregory leidigh said great price, excellent service. great price, excellent service. "Excellent Editorial" according to Fernando Ärias. In my thesis research on railway architecture, this book has been a delightful read. My opinion is that the "meat" of the book is in the essay written by Thorne, "Renaissance of the Train Station."She covers pertinent points about the historical experience of railway travel and its development as an infrastructure. Her comments are well developed and informed of timely events. Wessner and Phillips expand on the development of the infrastucture in Europe, Asia and the United States respectively.I was very pleased with the coverage of the projects as well, and have made this volume a keystone of my architectural library.