This book employs the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) developed by Bruno Latour, Michel Callon and others in the analysis of two contemporary cases of local infrastructure planning – the Metro projects in Sydney, Australia and Montreal, Canada. The author unearths and dissects coalitions of human and non-human authors, which are often invisible but nevertheless critical for the success or failure of such projects. An insightful read for every academic, practitioner and student fascinated by but also concerned about the 24/7 news cycle and its ambiguous impact on local politics nowadays.

Roumen Dimitrov, Visiting Professor, University Pompeu Fabra, Spain, and Honorary Academic, UNSW, Australia

In this book, Nicholas Richardson takes us through the complexities of major infrastructure projects in Australia and Canada. These projects exist through the networks of actors who tell their stories in an ever-changing landscape. In this context, where controlling the narrative is a challenge, communicators must seek political approval for projects to go ahead. To achieve this, they need a fine-grained understanding of actor networks. The book is truly enlightening.

Éric Montpetit, Professor of Political Science, Université de Montréal, Canada

Assembling a motley cast of policy experts, career bureaucrats, communications consultants, election-cycle politicians and opinionated amateurs around the scene of rapid rail networks in Sydney and Montreal, Nicholas Richardson follows the actors in this magnificent account of mediatization, railways and the policy apparatus. Deftly weaving together the complex threads of policy failures and fictions with infrastructural futures, Richardson ensures the reader remains on the rails in this compelling journey into the urban underground.

Ned Rossiter, Professor of Communication and Director of Research at the Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University, Australia