SHORTLISTED FOR TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE 2026 EDWARD STANFORD TRAVEL WRITING AWARDS A
FINANCIAL TIMES READERS BOOK OF THE YEAR From the author of the smash-hit Around the World
in 80 Trains comes a new globetrotting journey - this time celebrating the peculiar magic and
mayhem of the night train. 'Nobody writes trains like Monisha Rajesh' Irvine Welsh 'Hugely
entertaining' The Times 'A moonlit express train to travel writing heaven. This is Monisha
Rajesh's wittiest and most irresistible adventure yet' William Dalrymple The wonder of the
night train: headlamps ablaze passengers boarding after sunset and leaving before sunrise
slipping in and out of compartments unseen. For Monisha Rajesh the singular thrill of sleeper
trains inspired a new journey around the world - one filled with moonlit landscapes cosy
compartments and quirky companions. From Austria's Nightjet to the Caledonian Sleeper and the
Santa Claus Express Rajesh invites us on an adventure aboard the world's most wondrous night
trains. Along the way she samples reindeer stew in Scandinavia retraces the original route of
the Orient Express sips on pisco sours aboard the Andean Explorer and watches the sun rise
over the Potomac River on the Silver Meteor to New York. A decade ago night trains were giving
way to budget airlines and high-speed rail. But as people search for slower and more
environmentally friendly ways to travel night trains are in the midst of a renaissance. By
turns romantic and hilarious Moonlight Express brings us along for the ride - and drops us
back at the platform before sunrise.
