story identification - Dystopian novel where the last city moves on a giant track

Probably published late 1970s or early 1980s. A large group of people are organized into a small city that is in a huge contraption that has to keep moving around the earth after some apocalyptic event. They might call the conveyance "Earth City." They have to keep pulling up track behind and placing it in front to proceed.

They are following electromagnetic pulses in the earth's crust that provides motive power for the thing.

The direction in which they are heading is called "up future," whilst the direction from which they have come is called "back past." Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Answer

Is this "Inverted World" by Christopher Priest?

In the novel, an entire city and its people travel across a planet on railway tracks being pursued by a destructive gravitational field. The city's engineers must work to lay fresh track for the city, and pick up the old track as it moves. The ruling faction works to ensure that the people are unaware that the city is even moving. The city enters into crisis as its population decreases, the people grow unruly, and it becomes more and more difficult to stay ahead of the destructive field.

Comments

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