The imagineTrains project focuses on the imaginary of political decision makers and train users from an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective. It aims to explore the train imaginaries of decision makers and train users to understand the basis of decision making and the extent to which these imaginaries differ between political decision makers and train users in different countries, namely China, France, India, South Africa, and the USA.

Of particular interest are dimensions of the imaginary associated with sustainable development, the economy, technology, geography, and autobiography. Fieldwork and analysis will be based on regional and interregional existing, planned, or abandoned train projects.

In its interdisciplinary dimension, imagineTrains is a socio-anthropological study drawing from anthropology, history, political science, and sociology. One of its main objectives is to provide a basic understanding of the dimensionalities and sources of the imaginaries of trains between different national contexts as well as a contribution to the discourse on trains that can be relevant to decision makers, policy makers, and politicians.