A catastrophe of global proportions wipes out almost the entire human race. A group of passengers on a train are saved because one of them is transporting a canister containing material that freezes them in suspended animation until they finally thaw out into the shattered aftermath. This small group of survivors will have to find a way to survive, to find water and food and to make their way across a destroyed landscape to a place called Ark where there is the promise of rescue. They are not, however, alone.

The show starts off beng very reminiscent of the BBC post apocalypse series SURVIVORS, but this is not about those left alive trying to face the prospect of rebuilding society in the aftermath, but rather about a small group of people merely trying not to starve and trying to find a reason, any reason, to carry on. They are faced with wild dogs, collapsing factories, big cats, strange tribespeople and the ever present spectre of starvation. The BBC version couldn't boast most of that.

Plot, though, is not the main strength of this production. That lies in the characterisation of the survivors and their depiction by a well-chosen group of actors. The group may seem like a bunch of cliches to start with (practical northerner, dodgy geezer, slightly pompous copper, driven scientist, caring mother, selfish teenager, etc), but they round out throughout the series, revealing their depths as they go. There aren't any long speeches about motivation, just people getting on with it and showing who they are by how they do.

The depiction of the future world, all broken and messy, is less well realised. There are some dodgy matte shots and the addition of litter isn't necessarily the best way to suggest apocalypse, but then but budget wouldn't have broken any blocks along the way.

THE LAST TRAIN is a nicely self-contained mini-series that even at only six episodes feels like it could have been trimmed a bit, but it proves to be a train trip worth taking.