0:00:03 > 0:00:06The world's most famous skyline.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11A symbol of ambition, success and wealth.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Welcome to New York.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19We're going to show you how this city works.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23We've gained privileged access
0:00:23 > 0:00:25to some of New York's most iconic places.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28In this series,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32we're revealing the hidden systems and armies of workers that keep
0:00:32 > 0:00:34everything on track.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41This is a place under pressure.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46The population's hit 8.5 million.
0:00:46 > 0:00:52Transport, food supply and housing are struggling to keep up.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Tonight, we're kicking off at the world's largest railway terminal -
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Grand Central.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01We'll show you what it takes to keep this crowded metropolis on the move.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Engineer Ant Anstead heads beneath the terminal to visit America's
0:01:10 > 0:01:12biggest rail construction project.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17It is vast.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Journalist Ade Adepitan takes an eye-opening ride in a yellow cab.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23Would you pick me up, then?
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Let me tell you something, you're black, in a wheelchair.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29One and one equals blind.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32I get up close and personal with New Yorkers.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Ooh...
0:01:34 > 0:01:36The cameraman just took someone out.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41And historian Dan Snow delves into Times Square's murky past.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46A gunman managed to get into the building
0:01:46 > 0:01:48and rob one of my colleagues at gunpoint,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50at her desk, on the weekend.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54This is your access-all-areas pass
0:01:54 > 0:01:56to America's biggest and busiest city.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Welcome to Grand Central Terminal -
0:02:17 > 0:02:20the most spectacular railway terminal in the world,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22slap bang in the heart of New York,
0:02:22 > 0:02:27in the city's commercial centre, the Midtown area of Manhattan.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30It's just after 8am in the morning,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34which, as you can see, is rush hour here, and get this -
0:02:34 > 0:02:38each weekday, the population of Manhattan almost doubles,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42from 1.6 million to 3.1 million people.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45We're going to show you what's going on behind the scenes during
0:02:45 > 0:02:49rush hour this morning, and how New Yorkers get to work on time.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52This is the largest railway terminal in the world.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56It has 46 platforms, it intersects with the subway,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58it dwarfs anything we have in Britain.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Waterloo, in comparison, only has 19 platforms.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Now, looking around this rather beautiful concourse,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07it doesn't seem that big at first glance, and that's because
0:03:07 > 0:03:08the business end is underneath me.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Look below the building's facade and the essential infrastructure
0:03:14 > 0:03:18of the station - cafes, shops, tracks and platforms -
0:03:18 > 0:03:21are all buried beneath the city's streets.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27It's 8:05am and rush hour is in full swing.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30A train has just come in.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33This one is the Bridgeport train on the New Haven line.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37It connects this city to upstate New York,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Connecticut and all the suburbs.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42And, if you take a look down the platform, you can just see
0:03:42 > 0:03:46hundreds and hundreds of people coming in,
0:03:46 > 0:03:47most of them commuters.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49At peak time,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52one of these trains comes in every 47 seconds,
0:03:52 > 0:03:57and carries about 1,200 passengers. Sorry, sir.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58It's pretty busy, isn't it?
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Now, to understand this city, you really have to get to grips
0:04:02 > 0:04:03with the way it travels.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06And that's precisely what Ade, Ant and I got up to.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Four out of every five New Yorkers use its enormous public transport
0:04:15 > 0:04:17network to get to work each day.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Sitting at the heart of it is Grand Central.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26Spanning over 5,000 square miles, this complex system of trains,
0:04:26 > 0:04:31subways, buses and boats link New York's commercial centre, Manhattan,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33to its four outer boroughs -
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens,
0:04:36 > 0:04:37the Bronx and beyond.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Depending on where you live,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44your experience of commuting here can be very different.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47That's where I'm heading -
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Manhattan, over the water from here, Staten Island.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51We're heading to Grand Central,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55like the 200,000 commuters who travel there every day.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00I'm coming in with the mainly blue-collar workers who use
0:05:00 > 0:05:02the Staten Island Ferry.
0:05:02 > 0:05:075.5 million New Yorkers rely on the subway each day.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11And today, I'm joining the hipsters of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12I'm going in.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16I'm taking the L train to Union Square
0:05:16 > 0:05:19and then changing to get to Grand Central.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22It's one of the city's most overcrowded routes,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26with passenger numbers doubling over the last 20 years.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I'm travelling with the affluent out-of-towners...
0:05:31 > 0:05:35..coming in from Greenwich, in the neighbouring state of Connecticut,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38on one of the city's 30 suburban railway lines.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43I'm keen to see how wheelchair-friendly
0:05:43 > 0:05:44my journey will be.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47- TANOY:- The express train to New York,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51stopping only at 125th Street, then Grand Central.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55So a monthly ticket from Greenwich into New York City
0:05:55 > 0:05:57is going to cost you about £200.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01In comparison, if you're getting a ticket from Guildford in Surrey
0:06:01 > 0:06:05into London, it's going to be about £400, which is double.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06It's pretty decent.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10OK, let's get a ticket.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11Start.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15A single subway ride costs a flat rate of 3,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17about £2.25,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20whereas a single on the London Underground
0:06:20 > 0:06:22can easily set you back over £5.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26But low subsidised fares mean stations are dilapidated and
0:06:26 > 0:06:31technology outdated. There's no contactless payment here.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33Here we go.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39"Please remove your cash."
0:06:39 > 0:06:41It won't let me pay.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Over on Staten Island, there's no need for ticket machines.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Not a single person here is paying for this ride.
0:06:50 > 0:06:51This is all for free.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55And it's been this way since 1997,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58when the city's mayor decided the ferry charge was unfair.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02And like clockwork, the ferry's here.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05Busy.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10On a typical weekday, there are over 100 crossings.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Time it wrong...
0:07:14 > 0:07:16PASSENGER SHOUTING
0:07:16 > 0:07:19..and it's a 15 minute wait for the next one.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Out in Connecticut, I think I'm on the world's easiest commute.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Look at this. Very little step and very little gap.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32No palaver. I love it.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36New Yorkers have the longest commute in the US,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40spending an average of over 6.5 hours
0:07:40 > 0:07:43travelling to and from work each week.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47It's all right. It's not too busy, plenty of spare seats.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Not that I'm worried - I've brought my own.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58If only the subway was so straightforward.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59So, let's swipe it.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02Other way.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04TURNSTILE BEEPS
0:08:04 > 0:08:05Then swipe again.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11New York Subway has 469 stations -
0:08:11 > 0:08:14more than anywhere else in the world.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17I want to get the L train...
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Manhattan. There we go.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Just missed one. Oh!
0:08:22 > 0:08:26And half of the 24 lines are running at or near capacity,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30making this an up close and personal experience.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Oh, gosh...
0:08:35 > 0:08:36We're cramming in.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39Ooh!
0:08:39 > 0:08:43The cameraman just took someone out with the... Sorry.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44Sorry, sorry.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50For me, it's plain sailing.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54I'm halfway through the five mile crossing, and it feels more like
0:08:54 > 0:08:56a pleasure cruise than a commute.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59This is great. Imagine this every morning on the way to work.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04But my smugness might be misplaced.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06I'm still five miles from Grand Central,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09and I'll be cycling the rest of the way.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14In 2013, the city introduced a bike hire scheme
0:09:14 > 0:09:17like those in London and Paris.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18So this is my chariot.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Now, similar to the Boris bikes back in London, it works on a key.
0:09:24 > 0:09:25Perfect!
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Now, I've not cycled for at least a year...
0:09:28 > 0:09:29but how hard can it be?
0:09:31 > 0:09:32Woo-hoo-hoo...
0:09:32 > 0:09:33Whoa!
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Morning.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41The number of cycling commuters has doubled in the last five years.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44But they still account for just 1% of work journeys.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46And I soon see why.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49It's not for the faint-hearted.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Oh, my God.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54It's not really a great place to be on a bike.
0:09:54 > 0:09:55Aargh!
0:09:55 > 0:09:58- CAR HORN BEEPS - What are you beeping for?!
0:09:59 > 0:10:05Converging on Grand Central, from north, south and east,
0:10:05 > 0:10:12we've seen for ourselves how the day starts for 80% of New Yorkers.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- TANOY:- Stand clear of the closing doors, please.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16We made it! Yeah!
0:10:16 > 0:10:20I could do that every day. I like it.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Well, it had a few moments, but I rather enjoyed that.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42That, my friend, was surprisingly simple.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43In London, when I'm going on a train,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45I have to call 24 hours ahead,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48they bring out a ramp - it's a massive palaver.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49I really enjoyed that trip.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I enjoyed mine too. It was really calming.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I mean, what better way to go to work than on a boat?
0:10:54 > 0:10:55Plus it's free.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58The reason travelling seems so seamless is because of
0:10:58 > 0:11:00all the efforts that go on behind the scenes,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02and a lot of it happens in this office here.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08These guys are the rapid response team at Grand Central.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12They're juggling all the incoming and outgoing rush-hour trains,
0:11:12 > 0:11:17responding to and solving problems as they crop up.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19This is known as the Track 25 office.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22It's peak rush hour and the man in charge is Emiliano Perez.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- Emiliano.- How are you doing? - What's going on this morning?
0:11:25 > 0:11:29We have a couple of delays and also we had a situation on track 19 -
0:11:29 > 0:11:30a suspicious lady.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34So we had to go there too, and the train was delayed two minutes.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Wow, so you've got two delays, this morning, and one suspicious lady.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- Absolutely.- Emiliano, what do the screens mean?
0:11:40 > 0:11:42The screen is a tracking system for us.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44We track every train.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- So they are all the lines going out of the station?- Yes.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49So this is a live map?
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- This is everything that's going on, in Grand Central, this morning?- Yes.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- We make sure the trains are posted on the right tracks.- Right.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Throughout the whole day, 700 trains.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00We've got to manage the whole system.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01So this is 700 trains? Blimey.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- Through the whole day, yes. - Going throughout the whole day.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08- And I guess, here, where you've marked it, that's where you've had to make changes.- Right.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12We make changes because sometimes the train has to go for cleaning,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15or we make changes because the train has mechanical issues.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17We deal with that every single day.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19How many changes have you made so far, this morning?
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Today, I would say, we have... Let me see...
0:12:22 > 0:12:25one, two, three, four...about six changes today.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28So, it's not even 9am and you've already had to make six changes.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Six changes, provided that everything is running smooth.
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Metro.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35We've got problems. On 111, we've got problems.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Actually, Emiliano might have spoken too soon.
0:12:38 > 0:12:401320. Got it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42105. A 1320.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43111 - what's the 34, Mike?
0:12:43 > 0:12:48There's an unattended bag, they're phoning the police, they're dealing with the incident right now.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Emiliano's quick to dispatch a canine unit.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- So that track's out of action? - Absolutely, yes.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57And what's going to happen with that bag?
0:12:57 > 0:13:02Well, the police goes there with the canine unit and they have to OK
0:13:02 > 0:13:06the train or say "not good", and then we've got to evacuate.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08So it's potentially a serious problem?
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Absolutely.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14The dogs are trained to sniff out the ingredients
0:13:14 > 0:13:16that make up explosives.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22There's a lot going on and I feel like I'm kind of getting in the way.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28It's a false alarm and the bag is taken to the lost property office.
0:13:28 > 0:13:3233. 25 track. The bag's been cleared off 111.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36All track 111. All track 112.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38There's just constant things happening.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Incidents are coming in, everybody's reacting to it.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Although it seems and feels a bit chaotic,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45these guys have got it all under control.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47- Amazing.- Amazing, yes.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Look, you're obviously having a busy time -
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- I'm going to leave you to it. - OK, thank you.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57Back on the concourse,
0:13:57 > 0:14:0210,000 people are on their way to work, oblivious to this
0:14:02 > 0:14:05behind-the-scenes operation keeping them safe.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12The reason this place is so busy is because 300,000 people work within
0:14:12 > 0:14:17a ten minute walk of here, in 70 million square feet of office space.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21But its location wasn't always so central, as Dan Snow discovered.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Today, Midtown is the heart of Manhattan.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32But 150 years ago, it was an area on the outskirts of town.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37The main action was happening down south.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42This is Lower Manhattan.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46In 1870, the population of New York was around 1.4 million,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49and most of them lived packed in down here,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51because New York was a city founded on trade.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53It was surrounded by the water.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56There's the Hudson River out there, and ships from all over the world
0:14:56 > 0:14:59carrying their trade goods would come in here, and then goods would
0:14:59 > 0:15:02be shipped all over the United States.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06The men who controlled this lucrative trade
0:15:06 > 0:15:08became very, very rich indeed.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13And the richest of them all was Cornelius Vanderbilt.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19He realised steam trains could deliver his goods more quickly
0:15:19 > 0:15:22and more cheaply than steam ships.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26So, in 1871,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29he bought six blocks of land in Midtown
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and built America's largest railway station,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36at a cost of 6.4 million.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39That's 100 million today.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Grand Central Depot was New York's first major rail terminal -
0:15:45 > 0:15:50the original incarnation of the building we know today.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52This is a plan of New York from the time.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55You can see down here, the heart of the city on the southern tip of
0:15:55 > 0:15:57the island, and the rest of it has been subdivided,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00waiting for future development.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02What's interesting is that Grand Central might have been grand,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06but it wasn't central. It's way up here on 42nd Street and that's
0:16:06 > 0:16:12because the planners did not want dirty, nasty, sooty steam trains
0:16:12 > 0:16:14belching out their mess right in the heart of the city.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18But this became such an important transport hub that the area
0:16:18 > 0:16:20around it became very desirable,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and that was the birth of fashionable, expensive Midtown.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28By the turn of the 20th century,
0:16:28 > 0:16:3215 million passengers a year were using the station,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35but it was over-capacity and stretched to breaking point.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43In 1902, there was a devastating crash just outside Grand Central.
0:16:43 > 0:16:4715 people died at the scene, and it was the catalyst for change.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Without room to expand, a radical solution was proposed -
0:16:52 > 0:16:56knock down the station and build a modern version in its place.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Key to this plan was replacing steam trains with cleaner electric ones.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06It had a huge safety benefit, but it also had an enormous financial
0:17:06 > 0:17:10benefit, because it meant the trains could be buried below the surface of
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Manhattan and the ground could be sold off for commercial development.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18The cost was huge, nearly 3 billion in today's money,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21but they recouped a lot of that by selling the land above.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And in doing so, created a little street you might have heard of -
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Park Avenue.
0:17:29 > 0:17:35Work on Grand Central began in 1903 and took ten years to complete.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Throughout the building project, rail services ran uninterrupted.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44From the excavation of 2.3 million cubic metres of rock
0:17:44 > 0:17:49and demolition of 200 buildings, an icon was born...
0:17:50 > 0:17:55..an enduring monument to the wealth and determination of New York's
0:17:55 > 0:17:57original transport tycoon.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03It's now 8:20am.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07With 19 trains due in the next 15 minutes,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10there's no space to cram any more into the schedule.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12They've reached a crunch point.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17New York is in desperate need of extra rail capacity.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21But where do you put new train lines in this already crowded city?
0:18:21 > 0:18:23There's only one solution.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Dig down. And that's exactly what they're doing.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30At the moment, the Long Island Railroad,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32America's busiest commuter line,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35comes into Penn Station on the west side of Manhattan.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39They're re-routing this line through Queens, via eight miles of
0:18:39 > 0:18:44underground tunnels, to surface here at Grand Central, on the east side.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49That's going to cut down the travel time of 162,000 commuters
0:18:49 > 0:18:51by up to 40 minutes a day.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53They've just completed the main stage of construction,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57which has been going on right here underneath my wheels, without
0:18:57 > 0:19:00anybody up here having any idea about it.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Ant went underground to see what the future of this terminal looks like.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10'The building site below Grand Central is accessible only
0:19:10 > 0:19:12'by special invitation.'
0:19:12 > 0:19:13Hey, man.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16'I'm heading 13 storeys deep.'
0:19:18 > 0:19:19Going down.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Here, an army of underground workers are busy grafting away.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27It's a long way down.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35My guide through the labyrinth of tunnels is the project's manager,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Michael Horodniceanu.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39This is incredible!
0:19:41 > 0:19:45For the past ten years, more than 2,000 workers have been digging...
0:19:47 > 0:19:49..hammering and cutting round the clock.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It's a huge undertaking,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59and one that will cost more than 10 billion.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03It's America's biggest transport project.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06This is amazing.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Yes, it is. It's something that is a work of love.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15I've done it for the last eight years and there was nothing here.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18All rock. Now we have caverns,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21we have tunnels and, hopefully, in about six years from now,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24we will have trains and passengers going straight in there.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Once completed, these tunnels will bring in up to 24 trains an hour.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34So whereabouts are we in New York?
0:20:34 > 0:20:40- What is above us here? - We are around 50th Street, above us.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44And what you're looking here at is, in effect, the bedrock.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47It was created with a tunnel boring machine,
0:20:47 > 0:20:5022 foot wide - seven metres, approximately.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- A massive drill?- A massive drill that came through here.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56So these massive drills, these tunnel boring machines,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59cut holes in the rock and then what happens to those?
0:20:59 > 0:21:00We left the machine in place.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02What does that machine cost?
0:21:02 > 0:21:06- About 10 million.- So you left a 10 million drill underground?
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Well, it was not worth 10 million when we left it there.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Stripped of its expensive components,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16the body of the drill was sealed into the walls.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20What I really like is that actually, when you get under here, it's noisy,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23it's busy, it's a construction site, there's a sense of loads going on,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27and yet the people upstairs, they have no idea this is happening.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28That's why we like it.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33It's a stealth project and people upstairs can sip wine...
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- Cos you can't hear this upstairs. - No, you cannot.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38This is astonishing,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41because a key part of the construction -
0:21:41 > 0:21:42explosives.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46LOW RUMBLING
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Just 45 metres below the busy platforms of Grand Central,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02more than 2,500 of these blasts were conducted...
0:22:04 > 0:22:07..possible because New York's bedrock,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09the so-called Manhattan schist,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11is dense enough to tunnel through
0:22:11 > 0:22:13without the need for concrete supports.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16And the guys who did it, they're called the sandhogs.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22- Hey, how are you doing? - How's it going?
0:22:22 > 0:22:27Men like Richard Fitzsimmons Jr have built every tunnel in New York,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30and the foundations of many of the city's bridges.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Is what you do dangerous?
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Yes. The real dangerous part is the first initial phase,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39which is your drill and blast.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41It's where you have all your hydraulic drill equipment and
0:22:41 > 0:22:43dynamite explosives.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45So, why did you choose to work underground?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48It's kind of to follow in my family's footsteps.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50I'm apparently a third-generation miner.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53My grandfather and father have both done it before me.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54So you guys are clearing up?
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Pretty much. We're clearing everything out of here.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58A lot of stuff to get out of a big space.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Definitely. And there's only one way in and one way out here.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03It's not like the street, where you have multiple access.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05And that's on these tracks?
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Everything is one rail all the way out, two miles to the shaft.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12They've excavated one million cubic metres of rock, and it's all
0:23:12 > 0:23:14being taken out through this single tunnel.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17What they've created is on a scale
0:23:17 > 0:23:21just as astonishing as the terminal above.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Two cathedral-like spaces, 90 metres in height,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27that will house the new station.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30This is the western cavern.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35We are 160 feet down here, at the deepest point, that we are.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38And the length of this cavern is four football fields.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40It is only down here, now,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43that you get a, sort of, sense of the sheer scale of it.
0:23:43 > 0:23:44It is vast.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54In the next two months, they'll begin fitting out the station,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58splitting this space into three levels.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01A lower track level with two platforms.
0:24:01 > 0:24:07A middle mezzanine floor, allowing people to move around the station.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10And an upper level, with platforms serving two more lines
0:24:10 > 0:24:12coming in from Queens.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17So trains are going to be running two tracks on this lower one.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18And two tracks on the upper one.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21And then on the other side, we will have another four.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25So at any given time you can have eight trains here.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33This station will future-proof New York's transport system
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and when trains begin running in 2022,
0:24:36 > 0:24:38this secret subterranean world
0:24:38 > 0:24:41will be an everyday part of New Yorkers' lives.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Back upstairs, directly underneath the main concourse,
0:24:48 > 0:24:49sits the food court.
0:24:51 > 0:24:57It's 8:30am and these 35 outlets are busy with the breakfast rush.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59But there's a bigger job ahead.
0:24:59 > 0:25:0310,000 people will head here just to have lunch today,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05in the famous Oyster Bar,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09trading since the day the terminal opened in 1913.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11They're preparing for service.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14This is chef Sandy, head chef at the restaurant.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Sandy, what time does this place open?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19We open at 11:30am every day except Sundays.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23How many people come into the Oyster Bar over the course of a lunchtime?
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Right now, we're running about 1,200 people all day,
0:25:26 > 0:25:30and then at our season, which is between Thanksgiving and Christmas,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32it could be up to 2,400.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34- 2,400 people?- Every day.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36That's a lot of oysters.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41And I sense this is the quiet before the storm, before it all goes crazy.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Tell me, what do you have to do to get this place prepared
0:25:45 > 0:25:47and ready for all the people?
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Between 50 and 100 boxes of oysters every day come in.
0:25:50 > 0:25:56They have to be organised, counted, put into baskets, iced down.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59It's all about the organisation.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01So whilst we're talking here,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05behind the scenes, you've got a frenzy of activity going on with
0:26:05 > 0:26:07- people getting it all ready?- We do.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I've got six cooks working from 8am in the morning,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13two full-time fish butchers.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16How many different varieties of oysters have you got?
0:26:16 > 0:26:21Today we have 22 different oysters plus three jumbos.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Of those, one-third are from the west coast,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26two-thirds from the east coast.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29And what's the most popular oyster? What one sells the best here?
0:26:29 > 0:26:31The one that sells the best is this oyster.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36It's Blue Point, it comes from Long Island Sound and it's local.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Everybody knows the name Blue Point.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Sandy, thank you so much for letting me visit the Oyster Bar
0:26:41 > 0:26:44and good luck today. I hope it all goes well.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45- Thank you.- Cheers.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Sharing basement space with the Oyster Bar is another crucial
0:26:51 > 0:26:52behind-the-scenes operation.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57With hundreds of thousands of people passing through every day,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01it's inevitable that things will get lost and they end up here,
0:27:01 > 0:27:06at Lost and Found, to be processed by Raymond Rosario.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10He's responsible for trying to reunite the 3,000 items that come
0:27:10 > 0:27:13through here each month with their owners.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15- Hello, Raymond.- How are you doing?
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I'm very well. I'm happy to be in your Aladdin's Cave of stuff.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21So, what's the process if something gets handed in to you?
0:27:21 > 0:27:24All items in the window are processed as quickly as possible,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27only because the customers can, actually, still be in the terminal.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29It will go into our database and from there we'll see
0:27:29 > 0:27:31if anybody filed an enquiry.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35- For instance, this right here... - So this is something that's come in today? A telephone.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38So, basically, we'll enter it in here.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39For the most part, for the phones,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43when we get them in, a lot of them are locked. But a lot of the
0:27:43 > 0:27:46passengers put family pictures and stuff like that, so what happens is,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48when they come looking for a phone and you do the enquiry,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51put down a description of the picture that's on the lock screen.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Has this one got a picture on?
0:27:53 > 0:27:54Oh, yeah - it's got a very fuzzy,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57out of focus picture of the back of someone's head.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59It's the back of one lady shaking hands with another lady.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01And we'll put that in the description
0:28:01 > 0:28:04and then we'll look for that description in the actual enquiries.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06What's the most common thing to be left?
0:28:06 > 0:28:10I'll be honest, if I had to pick one, it would probably be between cellphones and wallets.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12What's your success rate of getting things back to their owners?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14On average, I think it's like 60%.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Definitely more than half the items get sent out.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19And when it comes to items like laptops,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21it's somewhere between 75% and 80%.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Tell me some of the weird and wonderful things you've seen, Raymond.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29I've had... It looked like a regular shopping bag until you opened it.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34There was a HUGE amount of sex toys.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35You name it, it was in the bag.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40Somebody was having a huge party that day. I don't know if they were selling it or whatever it was.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42It was a lady - she came in, she picked it up,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and she was definitely... she had a very red face.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48And what about things that really surprise you. And you think,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50"How has somebody managed to leave this behind?"
0:28:50 > 0:28:53I'll be honest, nothing really surprises me any more.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54We get...
0:28:54 > 0:28:57We've had prosthetic legs. We've had a canoe -
0:28:57 > 0:29:00a seven to eight foot canoe.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03We get canes, crutches, wheelchairs.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05- Wheelchairs?- Like, as a matter of fact, right here.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07- That's somebody's walker.- That's...
0:29:07 > 0:29:09And that was left, actually, a couple of days ago.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11What happens if it doesn't get collected?
0:29:11 > 0:29:15Well, there's a Salvation Army luggage company,
0:29:15 > 0:29:16they pretty much pay us per box,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20and we ship all the boxes to them, but it depends on the item.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Some items are held for three months,
0:29:22 > 0:29:24some items are held for six months and, then,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27if it's, like, a laptop or an iPad, we'll hold it for up to year.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Raymond, thank you. You said it took 30 seconds to process a phone and
0:29:30 > 0:29:33I've been chatting away to you, so I'll let you carry on.
0:29:33 > 0:29:34- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42This place is pretty busy, clocking up over 20 million visitors a year.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45But there is another location
0:29:45 > 0:29:49that claims the crown for New York's busiest place.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54We sent Dan to explore the past and present of Times Square.
0:29:57 > 0:30:03More than 50 million people visit here every year.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06America's Piccadilly Circus.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Famous for its 230 illuminated advertising boards.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Their fortunes, the fortunes of the Square itself,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18have echoed those of the city over the years.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24The boards are worth 60 million to the economy of the city.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28It's a legal obligation that every building on the Square has to have
0:30:28 > 0:30:29an illuminated sign.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33Even the subway has a special version of its logo here.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Electrician Nick Bonavita and the team at Landmark Signs
0:30:38 > 0:30:40look after the boards.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45- What's the plan? Someone's going up in that?- Yeah, sometimes they're
0:30:45 > 0:30:47rear service - you can climb from behind and fix them.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50Other times, front service - you need to go on a suspended scaffold.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52OK, so sometimes you go in through the front,
0:30:52 > 0:30:54- other times you can climb up the building?- Yes, exactly.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Yeah, they're getting close...
0:31:03 > 0:31:05Nick works with a team of 12
0:31:05 > 0:31:09to maintain 95% of the signs in Times Square.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13- Do you like heights?- I don't mind heights, but if I don't have to be on them, I'd rather not.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15- You chose the wrong job. - I certainly did.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Bad news for Nick -
0:31:19 > 0:31:24today's job is on Toshiba's hoarding, 25 storeys up.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29He's taking me behind the board, for a privileged look at its mechanics.
0:31:32 > 0:31:38So, here we are, top of the... Whoa, look at that view!
0:31:38 > 0:31:41This is the sign the guys are working on right now.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44So here we're looking at the back of the displays.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46- What are they made of?- The signs are made up of LED panels.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50And pretty much, this is what the entire sign is made out of.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53OK, so that's one big panel. Those are individual LEDs, right?
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- Yes.- How long will they last?
0:31:56 > 0:32:00- Life expectancy varies on different ones but they should last around ten years.- Ten years?
0:32:00 > 0:32:03How do you know when one of these needs replacing?
0:32:03 > 0:32:04Just look around on the way into work?
0:32:04 > 0:32:09Some signs do have a diagnostics that will tell you when something is out, and you'll get an e-mail
0:32:09 > 0:32:11or a picture sent of what's out but, mostly, you just look at the front
0:32:11 > 0:32:14of the sign and you're able to tell what needs to be replaced.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17Sometimes is there a fault that goes a few days without anyone noticing?
0:32:17 > 0:32:20It can happen, but for the most part we're on top of things.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22We normally see them and they're changed out right away.
0:32:22 > 0:32:27And if they go down, do you replace the whole panel or do you bother replacing LEDs?
0:32:27 > 0:32:28No, we replace the whole panel.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Can you create any kind of graphic design?
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Absolutely, yeah. Once they're all put together, you know,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36piece by piece, anything you want to put on there can be put on there.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Red, blue and green can make up almost any colour on the spectrum so
0:32:39 > 0:32:43you can make up anything you want. A computer controls all these signs
0:32:43 > 0:32:46so every sign will have its own computer that will put content out
0:32:46 > 0:32:49there and a computer can be accessed wirelessly through the internet from
0:32:49 > 0:32:54- anywhere in the world.- So I could put up a sign from the UK and control it?- Absolutely.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58Advertising puts this place on the map today, but it's the building
0:32:58 > 0:33:02this hoarding is mounted on that holds the key to Times Square's
0:33:02 > 0:33:04place in the history of New York.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09It was called the Times Tower. It was built in 1903,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12and from 1905 to 1913, it was the headquarters of
0:33:12 > 0:33:15the New York Times newspaper.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19MUSIC: Take The A Train
0:33:24 > 0:33:28The turn of the 20th century, when Times Tower was being built,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30was an exciting time for the city.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33It was embracing new technologies,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36like electricity and motorised travel.
0:33:36 > 0:33:41And this vital traffic junction, the crossing of 7th Avenue and Broadway,
0:33:41 > 0:33:45was the most happening part of town.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49The theatre district here boomed
0:33:49 > 0:33:52and it was soon the cultural heart of the city.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59Advertising pioneers, the so-called Mad Men, saw an opportunity here,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02installing brash, show-stopping billboards
0:34:02 > 0:34:04on every available surface.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17But when New York came close to bankruptcy in the 1970s,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21respectable businesses and people fled this part of town.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27The glitz and glamour of Times Square was gone,
0:34:27 > 0:34:32as a fresh-faced John Humphrys reported in 1972.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Prostitution and pornography are just as much a part
0:34:35 > 0:34:39of the Times Square scene today as the old electric news headlines.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Someone who worked here in those dark days
0:34:43 > 0:34:45is New York Times journalist David Dunlap.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48He joined the paper in 1975.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Was this like a no-go area, 20 or 30 years ago?
0:34:52 > 0:34:58Absolutely. There was an episode in the 1980s when a gunman...
0:34:59 > 0:35:03..managed to get into the building and rob one of my colleagues,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06- at gunpoint, at her desk, on the weekend.- You're kidding?
0:35:08 > 0:35:12The amount of prostitution and drug dealing that was going on just made
0:35:12 > 0:35:14it an entirely unsavoury zone.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19- So what changed?- Business, money.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22It's what changes everything in America.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24The city gave preferential rates
0:35:24 > 0:35:26to shops willing to open in Times Square.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31Once high street favourites appeared here, the visitors flooded back.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34So we're now on 42nd - this, you said, was a no-go area.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Now it looks like a gentle day in Disneyland.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46I wouldn't have walked down 42nd Street 20 years ago for the crime.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49Now I avoid it because of the tourists!
0:35:51 > 0:35:57Busy, brash and bright, this place has certainly had its ups and downs.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Times Square is a symbol of this city
0:36:00 > 0:36:03and a barometer of its fortunes.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05When things are good, this place is buzzing.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09When things are bad, this is where it shows.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12Judging by today, I'd say it's in pretty good health.
0:36:20 > 0:36:21It's just gone 9am.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Commuters are being joined by some of the 60,000 tourists
0:36:26 > 0:36:30who'll head here today, making it the busiest period
0:36:30 > 0:36:33for one very identifiable meeting point.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36You only need one. You're going and you're coming back?
0:36:36 > 0:36:37Enjoy your stay, OK?
0:36:37 > 0:36:40I'm now in the epicentre of the terminal.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44This is the information office and these two gorgeous women here,
0:36:44 > 0:36:48arguably the most important women in the entire place.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50CP and Cheryl.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Ladies, how long have you worked here?
0:36:52 > 0:36:5427 years.
0:36:54 > 0:36:5525 years.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58What is the best thing about working here in the information desk?
0:36:58 > 0:37:00We communicate with people.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02We meet a lot of...
0:37:02 > 0:37:03Like, strangers become friends.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06And you are the front line facing the public.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09- Yes.- Definitely.- So you have a very important role to play...- Yes.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12- ..giving them the information. - Yes, we do.- Mmm-hmm.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14And what is the most frequently asked question?
0:37:14 > 0:37:16- What would you say?- Restroom.
0:37:16 > 0:37:17"Where's the bathroom?" Yes.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19And some strange questions as well?
0:37:19 > 0:37:21"Can I eat my banana?"
0:37:21 > 0:37:22That lady, remember her?
0:37:22 > 0:37:24I just told her, the other day somebody said,
0:37:24 > 0:37:26- "Will they run out of tickets?" - Yeah.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28That's the first time I ever heard that one.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31How long did it take you to learn the timetable?
0:37:31 > 0:37:33- Well, it's not that long.- Not long.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35- Not long.- Not long, cos it's already...
0:37:35 > 0:37:40it's been in my head, cos I've been in Grand Central since 1990,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43so listening to the PA and people saying things...
0:37:43 > 0:37:45- You learn it.- ..you learn it.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48So I just had to learn the branches in between.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50How many questions an hour do you answer?
0:37:50 > 0:37:51Oh, God...
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- Oh, we don't even, I don't even know.- About a thousand or more.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Maybe so. Yeah, have to be.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59I think I can see a queue forming behind the window.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02- Let's let the floodgates open. - All right.- All right.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04- Let's allow the people to come... - Let's allow them to come.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06- ..to the ladies.- All right, cool. - Hi. May I help you?
0:38:06 > 0:38:08- Thank you.- All right.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13CP and Cheryl are at the heart of Grand Central,
0:38:13 > 0:38:18but just outside the station is another American transport icon.
0:38:22 > 0:38:27There are 13,500 yellow cabs on the streets of New York.
0:38:28 > 0:38:29And I'm hitching a ride.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34So where are we heading towards now?
0:38:34 > 0:38:36We're going to go up to 5th Avenue.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40Frank Metzi has been scouting fares for over a decade,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42and is typically outspoken.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Would you pick me up, then?
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Cos I've had a few issues, actually,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50when I've tried to get taxis in New York.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Let me tell you something - you're black, in a wheelchair.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55One and one equals blind.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57- Seriously?!- I'm only...
0:38:57 > 0:38:58It depends on the drivers.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02I mean, at the end of the day, we're not supposed to do that,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05- but it happens.- You can't say stuff like that, Frank!
0:39:06 > 0:39:07In a wheelchair or not,
0:39:07 > 0:39:11the worst time to catch a cab is between 4pm and 6pm.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15Drivers change shift then, and only 60% of cabs are on the roads.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20The best time to hail is weekday mornings and afternoons,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24when the highest number of cabs, more than 11,000, are available.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28All yellow cab drivers are self-employed,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31but only 25% own their vehicles.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35It's like renting a car. You rent the car, you lease the cab,
0:39:35 > 0:39:39and there's a certain fee that the garage wants.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Up and above that lease, that's what you get.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45- Is it expensive to own it? - It is expensive. It's up to...
0:39:45 > 0:39:50- It used to be at- 1 million. What?! - Yeah, the medallion, the medallion.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53- What medallion? - You see that piece on top?
0:39:53 > 0:39:56- Right there?- Oh, yeah. - That's what they...
0:39:56 > 0:39:58You have to buy that.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Allows you, legally, to pick up passengers in our city.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- And that medallion costs a million bucks?- A million bucks.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07That prevents individual cars just picking up anybody.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10- You have to have that by the City of New York.- So it's a way of
0:40:10 > 0:40:12regulating the drivers and making sure you've got
0:40:12 > 0:40:15- the right standard of drivers. - Exactly.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19Essentially, a licence that allows a car to pick up paying passengers,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22the medallion system was introduced in the 1930s.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26Back then, they sold for just 10.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29To own a medallion in our city, it's the American dream.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Once you've got one, that's it - you're set for life?
0:40:32 > 0:40:33Exactly, exactly.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36And so we have garages here that own...
0:40:37 > 0:40:41..bundles of medallions and they lease it to the drivers.
0:40:41 > 0:40:42And that's how it works.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48Frank rents his taxi for 145 for a 12-hour shift,
0:40:48 > 0:40:50from this garage in Queens.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55It's one of 67 fleet garages across the city.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59So this is where you come, where you drop off.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01This is where we drop off the cab.
0:41:01 > 0:41:06It's run by Richard Wissak, who has 140 yellow cab medallions.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Tell me about this place.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12How long have you had it and how long has it been here?
0:41:12 > 0:41:17We've had it for about 40 years now, and it was a cab company even before
0:41:17 > 0:41:20the family took it over, so this location has been
0:41:20 > 0:41:24a yellow cab company for probably close to 75 years.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29It takes 15 mechanics working around the clock
0:41:29 > 0:41:31to keep the vehicles roadworthy.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34Each one clocks up 70,000 miles a year -
0:41:34 > 0:41:38the equivalent of driving around the world nearly three times.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40And how do you work out the allocations -
0:41:40 > 0:41:42who drives when and times?
0:41:42 > 0:41:44The drivers come in when they apply for the job.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45We ask them if they're interested
0:41:45 > 0:41:47in working the daytime or the night-time.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Some drivers that have been with us for years and years have
0:41:50 > 0:41:52what we call a "steady car".
0:41:52 > 0:41:55So, if there's any noises or any problems with the car,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58they're quick to alert the mechanics to keep it in tip-top shape.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04But there's a threat to the dominance of the yellow taxi.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Since 2011, there's been a 68% increase
0:42:08 > 0:42:11in private hire vehicles on the roads,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14and it's taken a serious chunk out of Frank and other drivers' income.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18We had a monopoly, it's over.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22The technology is catching up with every industry
0:42:22 > 0:42:24and it has caught up with us.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28Many cab apps, like Uber, can offer a cheaper and more convenient ride.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34In January, yellow taxis made 60,000 fewer trips
0:42:34 > 0:42:36than in the previous year.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Uber made 70,000 more.
0:42:39 > 0:42:45In this new age, where kids and young people are into their apps
0:42:45 > 0:42:47all the time, we have to progress to that.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50The day of putting your hand up in the air may be over.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Yellow taxi firms are fighting back with their own apps.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59You have to adapt. You cannot say, "OK, we're not doing that."
0:42:59 > 0:43:01So you're changing, you're moving with the times.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04You have to. You have to move with the times.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08Medallion prices have still plummeted by as much as 50%
0:43:08 > 0:43:11as yellow cab drivers defect to the competition.
0:43:14 > 0:43:19Is this the end of New York's legendary yellow taxi?
0:43:19 > 0:43:20Frank thinks not.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24He's banking on tourists to keep this New York icon on the road.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28There are so many people that see movies and they get into a cab
0:43:28 > 0:43:31and they think, "Oh, my God, we're in a yellow cab.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34"I saw this in a movie!" kind of thing.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37- They go crazy.- Do you want me to let you into a little secret, Frank?
0:43:37 > 0:43:40I felt exactly the same way.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42You're not like the taxi driver from the movie.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45- Oh, Taxi Driver? - Yeah, Robert De Niro.
0:43:45 > 0:43:46No, no. Are you talkin' to me?
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Are you talkin' to me? You ain't talkin' to me.
0:43:49 > 0:43:54Don't you say you're talkin' to me. Are you talkin' to me?
0:44:03 > 0:44:06TANNOY ECHOES
0:44:10 > 0:44:14As Dan said earlier, this entire place is testament to the ambition
0:44:14 > 0:44:18of Cornelius Vanderbilt and, later on, his family.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21When they built it, they wanted to use the latest technology,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24and back in 1913, that was the electric light bulb,
0:44:24 > 0:44:27so they had 35,000 of them installed
0:44:27 > 0:44:33and exposed so everyone could see just how wealthy they really were.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35Also, there are acorns and oak leaves
0:44:35 > 0:44:38dotted around the entire building, if you look carefully.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40Like these acorns here,
0:44:40 > 0:44:44even in the back staircase, which isn't even accessible to the public.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46And that's because the family motto was,
0:44:46 > 0:44:49"From a little acorn, mighty oaks will grow."
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Now, you might think that's a little bit flash but, quite frankly,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55if I'd built the place, I'd want people to know about it.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59It was grand, it was modern, it was seriously impressive,
0:44:59 > 0:45:01so it's incredible to think
0:45:01 > 0:45:04that there was a time it was threatened with demolition.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10The second half of the 20th century signalled the end of
0:45:10 > 0:45:13the American railroad's golden age.
0:45:14 > 0:45:20Passenger numbers plummeted by 60% between 1946 and 1964,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23lured away by the convenience of road travel
0:45:23 > 0:45:24and affordable air fares.
0:45:27 > 0:45:28With dwindling revenues,
0:45:28 > 0:45:33it was all too tempting for the rail companies to sell off assets
0:45:33 > 0:45:37and cash in on valuable Manhattan real estate.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41The first casualty of the wrecking ball was the original Penn Station.
0:45:44 > 0:45:49It was demolished in 1963, to make way for a giant office block
0:45:49 > 0:45:52and Madison Square Gardens.
0:45:52 > 0:45:57Just 12 years later, Grand Central was threatened with the same fate.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02The normally reclusive Jackie Kennedy Onassis
0:46:02 > 0:46:05joined the fight to save it, in 1975.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07If we don't care about our past,
0:46:07 > 0:46:11we can't have very much hope for our future. And we've all heard that
0:46:11 > 0:46:15it's too late or that it has to happen or that it's inevitable,
0:46:15 > 0:46:17but I don't think that's true,
0:46:17 > 0:46:19because I think if there is a great effort,
0:46:19 > 0:46:22even if it's at the 11th hour,
0:46:22 > 0:46:25you can succeed, and I think...and I know that that's what we'll do.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31It took a further three years, until 1978,
0:46:31 > 0:46:35for the station to be landmarked and protected forever.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38But it was in desperate need of restoration.
0:46:43 > 0:46:48One of the architects who was responsible for overseeing
0:46:48 > 0:46:50- the restoration is Frank Prial. Hi, Frank.- Hello, Anita.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52So what was it like in the '70s and '80s?
0:46:52 > 0:46:55The '70s and '80s were tough times for Grand Central Terminal.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57It really suffered from a lack of appreciation,
0:46:57 > 0:46:59it fell into disrepair.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02- What did it look like?- The building fell into very bad condition,
0:47:02 > 0:47:04mostly from neglect.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06For the most part, they tried to take advantage of it by putting
0:47:06 > 0:47:08advertising in inappropriate places.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11For many, many years there was an enormous, three-storey-high
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Kodak sign with a changing scene,
0:47:15 > 0:47:17they changed four times a year.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20It blocked a good three storeys of the natural light that comes through
0:47:20 > 0:47:25- from the east.- So those spectacular windows were behind it and a huge
0:47:25 > 0:47:27- Kodak sign in front of it. - That's correct.
0:47:27 > 0:47:28Just how dirty was this place?
0:47:28 > 0:47:31The building was very, very dirty and, again, mostly through neglect
0:47:31 > 0:47:33but also through existing conditions at that time.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36The windows, which were open to allow natural air to come through
0:47:36 > 0:47:39to ventilate, also allowed in car pollution,
0:47:39 > 0:47:44smoke from coal-fired boilers and then, most importantly,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47the cigarette smoke, the nicotine that came from the cigarette smoke,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50made their way up and stuck to the top of the ceiling so the ceiling
0:47:50 > 0:47:55was completely filthy. We did an exhaustive and very comprehensive
0:47:55 > 0:47:57cleaning process, all by hand.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00A magnificent truss was built on scaffolding on either side of the
0:48:00 > 0:48:05main concourse, and when we were all done we left one small part behind -
0:48:05 > 0:48:07a 12 inch by eight inch rectangle
0:48:07 > 0:48:10which shows the condition of the original ceiling.
0:48:10 > 0:48:11It's black.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13That's what the ceiling looked like.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17- That's disgusting. And that was from nicotine...- Yes.- ..and smoke?
0:48:17 > 0:48:22- Smoke.- That's absolutely horrendous, cos this ceiling is magnificent.
0:48:22 > 0:48:23How expensive was the project?
0:48:23 > 0:48:25The project started at 200 million...
0:48:26 > 0:48:30..grew quickly to 250 million.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32And how long did it take?
0:48:32 > 0:48:36It started in 1988, until we completed construction in 2000, so about 12 years.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38And what was one of the biggest projects that you had?
0:48:38 > 0:48:42We learned that the stair that you see on the east side of
0:48:42 > 0:48:44the main concourse did not exist.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46The original architect, Whitney Warren,
0:48:46 > 0:48:49had intended it to be built but because they needed to save money at
0:48:49 > 0:48:51- that time, it was not. - So that's new?
0:48:51 > 0:48:53That's an entirely new stair, intended to look exactly like
0:48:53 > 0:48:58a stair that Whitney Warren would have designed, but with some changes to make it more modern.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02And when you look out, now, over this magnificent temple
0:49:02 > 0:49:05to transport, if you like, do you feel very proud?
0:49:05 > 0:49:09What do you feel, looking at it, as someone who's worked on it for a lot of your life?
0:49:09 > 0:49:11We feel like we've contributed
0:49:11 > 0:49:14to the quality of living in New York City.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17This is not just a temple to transportation, as you say, but
0:49:17 > 0:49:20it's also a town hall where special events take place.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24It's where people come not only to be with others like them but to also
0:49:24 > 0:49:28take part in the everyday events of New York City, so we are very proud
0:49:28 > 0:49:29of being able to encourage that.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31- Frank, thank you so much. - Thank you.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35As rush hour starts to wind down,
0:49:35 > 0:49:39there's one final behind-the-scenes area left to explore.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43And it's one that powers this whole place.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48I'm now heading to a top secret part of the terminal.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51I'm not actually allowed to tell you where I am, due to security,
0:49:51 > 0:49:53but you can clearly see I'm heading underground.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56I'm about ten storeys below the terminal above,
0:49:56 > 0:50:00and the room has the tantalising codename M42.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11It's like a set of James Bond!
0:50:14 > 0:50:17This crazy laboratory is run by this man, Nick DeFusco.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Nick, what happens in here?
0:50:20 > 0:50:24Basically, here you have all the DC power that runs all the trains
0:50:24 > 0:50:29throughout the terminal. We have 13,800 volts of AC current
0:50:29 > 0:50:31coming from the Power Authority,
0:50:31 > 0:50:36goes over to the transformer and then goes into the rectifier.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38The rectifier takes the power,
0:50:38 > 0:50:42it converts it into DC power at 700 volts.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46This runs most of the trains that run throughout the terminal.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49So basically, loads of power - 14,000 volts -
0:50:49 > 0:50:53comes into here from the grid in AC, alternating current,
0:50:53 > 0:50:57goes into the first machine, where it gets reduced,
0:50:57 > 0:51:01then the second machine, where it gets flicked to DC, direct current,
0:51:01 > 0:51:04and then it goes into each one of these little boxes here,
0:51:04 > 0:51:08- and is distributed to the tracks. - Yes, you got it. Definitely.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11So why don't they just use the AC that comes in here?
0:51:11 > 0:51:14None of the trains here run on AC, they run on DC.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16So this is fairly modern, state-of-the-art,
0:51:16 > 0:51:19- up-to-date technology?- Yes.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21So what would be the ramifications if this place went down?
0:51:21 > 0:51:24They do have a backup plan in contingent.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28They have another substation, that's at 50th Street.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31It would hurt the system a little bit, but you could still get trains
0:51:31 > 0:51:32in and out of the terminal.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35Nick, it's been a thrill to be down here. It's like a movie set.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37- Thank you.- You're welcome. Thank you.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41This room is the secret heart of the terminal,
0:51:41 > 0:51:43keeping this morning on track.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48Another secret operation, just as crucial to the city,
0:51:48 > 0:51:50takes place every night.
0:51:59 > 0:52:04At 4am, the world's biggest package delivery service kicks into action.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11100 45-foot lorries stream into this 400,000 square foot
0:52:11 > 0:52:14UPS customer service centre.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16In the next five hours,
0:52:16 > 0:52:20the packages they contain will go on a carefully planned journey.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24They will speed along the depot's 833 conveyor belts,
0:52:24 > 0:52:29through four storeys of sorting floors and the hands of 150 staff,
0:52:29 > 0:52:34finally landing in a dispatch van, ready for delivery.
0:52:35 > 0:52:40New York's three airports receive nearly 350 tonnes of mail
0:52:40 > 0:52:42from all over the world every day.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45This is swiftly transported by road
0:52:45 > 0:52:49to over 20 sorting hubs dotted around the city.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53This facility in Manhattan is one of the largest.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58Due to the boom in internet shopping,
0:52:58 > 0:53:00it's had to cope with a 14% increase
0:53:00 > 0:53:05in package deliveries in the last ten years.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08Manager Leo Cummings is doing his early morning rounds.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11How are we all going? Everything going well?
0:53:12 > 0:53:15This is where we process all the trailers
0:53:15 > 0:53:17coming in for tonight's operation.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20All these packages, roughly about 150,000 of them today,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23will be delivered in the Manhattan area.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28The first job is getting the packages off the trucks.
0:53:28 > 0:53:33A good unloader like Gregor can empty the 1,500 packages off these
0:53:33 > 0:53:36trailers in just 50 minutes, with the help of a conveyor belt
0:53:36 > 0:53:40known as the "extendo".
0:53:40 > 0:53:41The belt basically moves
0:53:41 > 0:53:43so it can go all the way to the end of the truck,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46so every time the wall gets broken down, we're moving in,
0:53:46 > 0:53:49so that means we're getting closer to finishing the whole truck.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Packages come out of Gregor's truck and straight into the sorting areas.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57Small items and envelopes head one way, while large items
0:53:57 > 0:53:59spin off in another direction.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04Here, Logan and the team of sorters scan the barcodes on wrist-mounted
0:54:04 > 0:54:08computers and print on a new tracking code.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11This is a map for each parcel's journey through the depot.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13If it scans blue or green it goes here,
0:54:13 > 0:54:16if it scans orange it will go here,
0:54:16 > 0:54:18red will go here and yellow goes down there.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Different colours relate to different districts of Manhattan.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26The barcodes also detail which delivery van the parcels will be
0:54:26 > 0:54:29loaded onto and even their location in the van.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39It took 14 mathematicians to perfect the algorithm that ensures the
0:54:39 > 0:54:44packages end up where they are meant to be in the shortest time possible.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48But there's one thing it can't predict - a package jam.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Joel has a crisis to deal with.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55I'm breaking the jam, and I'm letting my co-worker know on
0:54:55 > 0:54:58- the primary to run the other belt. - 'Clean up your belt, copy.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01'We're going to have a gap of maybe, maybe ten minutes, copy?'
0:55:01 > 0:55:06Sometimes that, right there, will jam up.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08Run the belt, Ron. Have it slow coming down the chute.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Make sure you jog it out, copy?
0:55:10 > 0:55:11Jogging it out means starting
0:55:11 > 0:55:14and stopping the belt, so that it runs a little more smoothly.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19Blockage cleared - everything's back on schedule.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26Everything's good. We've got our last trailer in now.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29- We should be good with the DDU.- OK. - Popping out the smalls.- All right.
0:55:29 > 0:55:30We'll be in good shape.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35Hector and the team of loaders are putting packages into the vans.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40Each of these will contain around 300 items.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45This whole belt, you can see, it's all Radio City,
0:55:45 > 0:55:49around...Midtown, I guess.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51Parcels are grouped within the van.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53The further back they're placed,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55the later in the driver's route they'll be delivered.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Express items, where customers have paid extra for early deliveries,
0:56:00 > 0:56:02are put closest to the door.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08They have a 1 or a 1P -
0:56:08 > 0:56:10that tells us we have to keep them in the front,
0:56:10 > 0:56:12cos that's going to be his first stop he has to do.
0:56:12 > 0:56:17The 500 delivery drivers collect their hand-held computers,
0:56:17 > 0:56:21pre-programmed with their route.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24Tony gives his van a quick once-over.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27I just want to make sure that everything is in place so that,
0:56:27 > 0:56:30when I go out on the route, I don't have any surprises.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32But it looks good.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38The packages have completed their journey through the depot.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40Manhattan's post is ready for delivery.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44At 8:55am,
0:56:44 > 0:56:49500 vans loaded with 150,000 packages
0:56:49 > 0:56:53stream out into the sunshine.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56We got a little help from the City, we need that.
0:56:56 > 0:56:57It's a big intersection for us.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00When it gets congested, we can't get across town quick enough.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03We're going to make it happen today.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06Post delivered, commuters at work,
0:57:06 > 0:57:09New York's ready for the working day.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13It just goes to show how much time pressure cities are under and,
0:57:13 > 0:57:17first thing, it's all about getting everything and everyone to where they need to be.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20That's rush-hour done for the morning - everybody's got themselves to work,
0:57:20 > 0:57:24but they only get a short respite, because they'll be doing it all again this evening.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26This time we've shown you what it takes to keep the city moving.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32Next time we're revealing what it takes to keep this hungry city fed.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38We'll be in the Bronx, at the largest food market in America -
0:57:38 > 0:57:42Hunts Point, where Ant drives a hard bargain.
0:57:42 > 0:57:44A dollar ten, that's no good.
0:57:44 > 0:57:45Haggle harder.
0:57:45 > 0:57:4640 cents?
0:57:46 > 0:57:48Are you out of your mind?
0:57:48 > 0:57:53Ade travels upstate to find out how the Big Apple gets its apples.
0:57:53 > 0:57:56This is not what I'd expect of New York.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00Dan discovers the dirty secrets of New York's rubbish.
0:58:00 > 0:58:01Without these guys,
0:58:01 > 0:58:04New Yorkers would soon be drowning in their own trash.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09And I head 67 storeys up...
0:58:10 > 0:58:12..to meet some busy bees.
0:58:12 > 0:58:13How many bees are in this hive?
0:58:13 > 0:58:18- There are probably about 50,000 in this hive, right now.- Incredible.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22There's just enough time for us to say a massive thank you to everyone
0:58:22 > 0:58:24at Grand Central and the Metro-North Railroad.
0:58:24 > 0:58:28Thank you at home for watching and goodbye from New York.
0:58:28 > 0:58:29- BOTH:- Goodbye.