Great American Railroad Journeys
Great American Railroad Journeys is a TV show on BBC2. Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America. The program has been available since 2026. A total of 38 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in June 2026.
Last episode
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1:00:00Great American Railroad Journeys
Michael Portillo begins a journey across Alaska, learning its links with Russia, feeding a sea otter pup and joining the US Arctic Warriors for parachute training.
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1:00:00Michael Portillo takes to the water for a nautical journey through the Thousand Islands, before his railway journey across Canada concludes in Toronto.
1:00:00In Montreal, Michael Portillo learns how French and British colonial roots have influenced the city. In Ottawa, the former politician visits the country's parliament.
1:00:00Michael Portillo's rail voyage continues through Connecticut heading north through the scenic New England states, where he takes a crash course in rowing.
1:00:00Michael Portillo heads for Plymouth, where he learns about the indigenous tribes of Wampanoag people.
1:00:00Michael Portillo visits Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, learning how surgery was first made bearable in 1846 by a miraculous new substance.
1:00:00Michael Portillo discovers the secrets of backyard oil drilling in Los Angeles and joins the locals for Mexican Independence Day.
1:00:00In the port of Monterey, Michael Portillo discovers the city's Spanish and Mexican heritage.
1:00:00Michael Portillo visits Yosemite National Park in California, beholding its granite cliffs, sequoia trees and waterfalls.
1:00:00Michael Portillo's journey's to San Francisco, where he travels through the city's streets by cable car, before heading across the bay to Sausalito.
1:00:00Michael Portillo travels from Reno, Nevada to California's Napa County, taking to the skies over the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Series 1
1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo arrives in Manassas, Virginia, scene of two crucial battles during the American Civil War.
1:00:00Michael Portillo arrives in Washington, DC, the centre of political power in the US.
Series 4 50:00
50:00Michael Portillo sets on his final leg, all the way to Jasper, along the way admiring Edmonton's light rail system and visiting the Rocky Mountains.
1:00:00Michael Portillo strikes west across Manitoba into the province of Saskatchewan.
50:00Michael Portillo explores the Province of Quebec, taking the Charlevoix train along the bank of the St Lawrence River to La Malbaie.
1:00:00Michael Portillo continues his journey to Quebec City, during which he investigates the world's biggest tide.
50:00Michael Portillo begins a new journey on the tracks of the Ocean line to explore Canada's maritime provinces, en route to Quebec City.
1:00:00Michael Portillo boards one of the world's most famous trains, the Rocky Mountaineer, to cross the backbone of the North American continent.
Series 1 1:00:00
1:00:00Michael Portillo reaches the boundary between the northern and southern states - the Mason-Dixon line.