FIXING THE FUTURE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2024 :: RMTnews 21 The new book by railway engineer and writer Gareth Dennis, How The Railway Will Fix The Future, builds a case not simply for railways as a common good, but argues that railways are a critical tool for humanity to survive and thrive. He asks the pertinent question if the world’s railways were almost entirely created by capital and empire for extraction and exploitation, how can they be harnessed for good? For Gareth, whether it’s the power of organised labour, the threats and opportunities of new technology, the distribution of democratic power or the calamitous impacts of climate change, railways can act as a lens through which to understand the future and the part they can play in it. With his deep knowledge of railways and his unique view of history and politics, the author provides the tools to answer those imperative questions: what and who should our railways be for? He tells RMT News that there are loads of railway books about, but all of them either fixate on the past or make a lot of noise about how railways don't work today without proposing long-term solutions. “We need to be asking how we can exploit railways for good - in fact not doing so sets our society up for failure as climate change and other challenges bite harder through this century. “Railways can even be a lens through which to view the future and how we can make society work better for everyone. “It's about the challenges we face, the choices we need to make, and how ‘more railways, is an answer to many of those questions,” he says. So what does he hope will come out from the book? “Working class people and the left more generally have fallen a bit out of love with railways. It is my hope that, rather than being seen as some part of the past, or perhaps as a big corporate mass to be tackled, people can see how railways fit into a brighter future. And exactly how we wrestle control of railways away from people who don't agree,” he insists. So why should RMT members read this book? “As an RMT member working in the rail industry, I know we get told a lot of nonsense by those in charge of the railways, whether it is rubbish like ‘passenger numbers will never return to pre-COVID levels’ which they already have, or ‘if the unions get their way the railways will go the way of the coal industry’ which is dangerous scaremongering and makes no sense if you understand the world and its challenges. “I hope that this book will help members feel fully armed and ready to tackle those sorts of claims, as well as helping cement the pride in what they do - if you work on the railway, you really are helping forge a better future. It gets me up in the morning, at least!,” he says with his usual optimism and humour. There is a discount code for RMT members when they buy the book from the publisher Repeater website: traingood200 FIXING THE FUTURE RMT member Gareth Dennis talks to RMT News about his new book about renewing the rail network for all