Standing Room Only The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track


Standing Room Only

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Britain's railway...

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'We are sorry to announce...'

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..the oldest and one of the busiest in the world.

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Thank you.

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Just slow down. Slow down.

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Surely this is illegal to be packed in like this.

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A huge network under constant pressure.

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Absolutely mental today.

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-No driver.

-No driver?

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Come on, guys, look for the driver and guard.

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Where anything and everything...

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Start on it, son.

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..can mean delay and chaos for thousands.

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Backs against the wall.

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He's got a suicidal female on board.

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Train now 90 late, owing to hitting a pheasant.

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I've heard everything now.

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Filmed over a year across the nation...

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-You're in that one, fella.

-That one?

-There's a seat next to the banana.

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We go behind the scenes of an industry

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we all love to complain about.

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Do you want a hand?

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So oh, no, that's £323.50.

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Oi!

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With the railway people determined to keep Britain moving.

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To infinity and beyond.

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In to battle.

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Can I renew my monthly pass, please?

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December at Reading Station.

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It's Monday morning rush hour.

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40 miles west of the capital, this is the hub of

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the Thames Valley commuter belt, connecting Oxfordshire

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and Berkshire in to London, Paddington.

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'Unfortunately, after the one that's just landing now at number eight,

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'the one behind it has been reported as leaving Newbury

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'absolutely rammed.

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'You might have a problem trying to squeeze them all on this one.'

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It's full and standing...

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That's delivering shareholder value.

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Why would you want to do this every day?

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WHISTLE BLOWS

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More than 400 trains and 15,000 passengers

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pass through here every morning.

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PHONE RINGS

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Station control, Reading. Wheelchair user.

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The station's control room is run by Phil and Mark.

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Passengers with off-peak tickets travelling in to London,

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your tickets are not valid on this service.

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Your voice is much more photogenic than mine.

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Phil's probably about the best one we've got.

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Very clear and he's pretty darn pro-active.

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Sometimes they get a bit frustrated with us when trains are late

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or disrupted, but we do our best to keep them moving.

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Shall I do another pro-active announcement?

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'Please use all available doors when boarding the train on platform five,

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'and move well down inside the coaches once boarded.'

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They'll stand next to a door and that's it, all go in one door.

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The door to Narnia.

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Ensuring the trains leave Reading on time is the job of

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dispatch staff like Angie Allen.

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-I'll see you later.

-All right. Bye.

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I've got on my thermals today.

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-Have you?

-Because I was freezing yesterday.

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But it's been a lovely night.

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It's not been raining and it's not been belting down yet,

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so even better.

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Stand back, please, let everyone off. Stand back.

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Move in, please, move right down the carriage.

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You've got a million and one things to remember.

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You've got all the times of trains, you've got all the trains,

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where they're going, all the connections.

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It's absolutely full. If you want to move up that way, please.

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Making sure people are safe on a train,

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making sure the trains aren't over-crowded.

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Totally full. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

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Sorry, you need to stand back, sir. It's completely full.

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It keeps you fit, that.

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Before she came to the railways, mother of five, Angie,

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worked as a care assistant in a hospital.

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Hospitals are quite manic, but we don't deal with as many people

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in a hospital per day as what I do on a train station.

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There's spaces here if you want to go in here.

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So you've got a big responsibility on your shoulders.

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And I think if people would understand it,

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they'd be a wee bit more lenient.

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What's the first one to Paddington?

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-Paddington, that'll be the 8.14.

-8.14?

-Yeah.

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Is it going to be on time?

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-Hopefully, fingers crossed, yeah.

-I wouldn't have thought so.

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OK. Thank you.

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They don't realise that I've got a life beyond railway.

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It's full, it's full here.

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I go home, I cook, I clean, I'm like any other mother.

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WHISTLE BLOWS

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It's a job, just like their job.

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They go in to an office every single day,

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and you get lawyers, you get doctors.

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We're here, we keep the trains going.

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Just one small problem on this congested route

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can cause big delays.

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Incident response staff are on constant alert.

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25-year-old economics graduate, Ben Rudkin,

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shunned a career in the corporate world to work on the railways.

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This morning he's track-side in Berkshire.

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Trains on the lines closest to us, which is the mainlines,

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are travelling at anything up to 125mph.

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Incredibly dangerous place for people to be.

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I haven't seen it yet, but it's supposed to be...

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Do you know what, I can see it from here.

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Half an hour ago, a driver reported seeing a dead dog on the line.

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OK, yeah, no worries. Well, look, I'm...what I'll do is,

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I'll wait for one to go past each way, shall I?

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And signallers have told Ben he has just two minutes to retrieve it

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before the next train passes through.

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Ben will return the dog to its owners.

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Right. I really hope the dog is that big.

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Cool.

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Do you have any identifying marks?

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Ronnie. It's got a phone number on.

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Hi, there.

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I'm afraid I have what is probably some quite sad news, but...

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Yeah, I'm afraid I've found...yeah, I've located Ronnie,

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who sadly sort of was deceased on the railway line.

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No, you know, she...he or she is in...she's in quite...

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You know, she's in quite a good state, so if you'd like Ronnie back.

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The guy was...no, the guy thanked me and things for ringing,

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but he did sound...

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I think they sound like obviously Ronnie was definitely a loving pet.

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Platform 13, if you're quick. Change at Slough.

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But you have to be quick, you've only got a couple of minutes.

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London Paddington is the gateway not only to the Thames Valley,

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but to Wales, the West Country and Heathrow Airport.

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You can't stand there, it is too dangerous for kids.

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Excuse me, excuse me, can you find somewhere for nine of us to go?

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-Sorry?

-There's nine of us stood there.

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Leave your luggage. You and the little two go down to C,

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there's two seats for a disabled person.

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Surely this is illegal to be packed in like this.

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So if you wanted me to rate this train, it would be zilch.

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It reminds me of the train abroad, that's what it reminds me of,

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in the poor countries.

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Hi, is that Ron Newman?

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Hello, good afternoon, I'm calling from Lost Property

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at London Paddington, concerning your laptop computer.

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If you want to just come to Paddington

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and when you get here just pop in and come and see us.

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My name's Hayley.

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In the run-up to Christmas, thousands of passengers' belongings

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find their way to Paddington's Lost Property Office.

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Yeah, OK. My name's Hayley.

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I'll just jot it down at the back for you.

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This is where all the magic happens.

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We get from pushchairs to skateboards to rollerblades,

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to three suitcases at a time sometimes.

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A family have got off

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and left everything on there.

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So somebody left their pedal bike and their little trailer thing

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on the train, and I don't know how you forget something like that.

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I mean, we've come across a few things that are not very nice.

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I don't even want to say it, a pooey pair of pants.

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Seriously, I am so sorry, but, yeah, that's true.

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-I'm the person you spoke to...

-Yes, that's right.

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..who's had a heart problem, and left my laptop on the train.

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-OK. As far at the moment it hasn't come in.

-Right.

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Now the best thing for you to do is,

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-if you head down here to the gate lines...

-Yes.

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..if you see, there's a lovely lady there,

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-First Great Western member of staff.

-Right.

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Just get her to either radio through to a manager or to get

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someone to come over and see you and see what they can do for you.

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More than likely, they can let someone on that train know now.

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-OK, thank you very much, indeed.

-OK, I've got your number anyway,

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so if I get any information, I'll call you.

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-Right you are. Thank you.

-OK.

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Some of these bags they have people's lives in them.

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For you, you don't understand what the sentimental value is for it.

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Sometimes it can be like, you know, their grandma or their parents

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or somebody that's bought it for them that is no longer with them.

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We get loads of bags with just loads of wrapped up gifts.

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It is nice to be able to reunite the people with the stuff, especially

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at Christmas time, you know, not everyone's got a lot of money.

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You go out spending

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and losing stuff like that on the train it does kind of...

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You know, it's difficult.

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Actually, I spoke to the owner today about that item,

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so they're going to head down, I think it's tomorrow

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about lunchtime, and come and collect it, so that'll be nice.

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So I'm going to reunite them

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with their Christmas presents before Christmas.

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We got on it at Swindon. 14:41.

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A member of staff has found Mr Newman's laptop

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and returned it to Lost Property.

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We've got it.

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Right, OK.

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We're at Paddington, it's been found,

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they found it on the train, the train was still here.

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As at other major stations, Lost Property is

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operated by an outside commercial company.

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There's a charge for every item that comes through the office.

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He should be charged.

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I mean it's only been in ten minutes,

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it hasn't been put through the system,

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and he is an elderly man, it is Christmas.

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So I'm going to take the decision, I hope,

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to release the bag to him without a charge, bless him.

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I'm going to charge him £5 for the bag,

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and not £20 for the laptop computer.

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Brilliant news.

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So if you want to just check the contents is all there.

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It looks fine to me.

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-OK. There is a collection fee.

-That's fine.

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Usually it would be £20 for a laptop computer,

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but it's only £5 for a bag. So it'll just be £5 today.

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Right, I haven't got the money. Can I give you a card?

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Yes, of course you can, yeah.

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How's about that? Luckiest man alive.

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Somebody else could have walked off with that.

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-That's your two receipts.

-Thank you.

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-And that's everything. You're welcome.

-Thank you very much.

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Have a lovely Christmas.

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-Have a nice Christmas yourself.

-OK. Bye.

-Thank you.

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We get a lot of different property,

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we get a lot of different people, so it's nice.

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We're always dealing with customers and members of the public,

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-so no, pretty cool day we have here.

-SHE LAUGHS

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The commuter belt between Reading and London

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has some of the busiest trains in the country.

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50 million passengers use the route every year.

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Can I have one bacon and tomato toastie. One cheese

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and onion toastie. One cheese and bacon omelette with toast.

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-We've only got white.

-Yeah, that's fine.

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Thank you, that's fine, thanks, babe.

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Tonight, the 20:15 out of Paddington has 500 people on board.

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Anything else? 7.65, please.

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-So we've got a cheese and onion and cheese and tomato?

-Yes, please.

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-Oh, thanks, babe. Big smiles.

-Excuse me, I'm coming through.

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Buffet staff, Lisa and Karen, look after the catering for

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First and Standard class.

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Omelette?

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Up and down, up and down.

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But it's good, because we work together

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so often we're like left and right hand.

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-Wherever she goes, there's chaos.

-Just look at it.

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Constantly cleaning up after her.

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Oh, mummy's off.

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No-one else knows where anything is.

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I've tried, I've worked with her for months and I've tried to clean,

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but she won't let me, will you?

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She's got OCD. My boyfriend Gary, he's got OCD.

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So I come in to work and I've got to be like this in work and at home.

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It's like, "Oh, help me, help me."

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Here you are, darling.

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Mind, it's hot, you enjoy, don't burn yourself.

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People don't realise that when we say it's freshly made,

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it's freshly made.

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I think they just think it's bunged in a microwave, you know.

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Scrambled eggs, a tiny, tiny little bit of milk, a tiny bit of butter.

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SHE SINGS

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Anything else? 3.85, please.

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I am not Delia Smith. I am just a chef.

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I'm the same age as Nigella.

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I wish I had her money and her cooking ability.

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There you are. Not bad for train food, is it?

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It's taken me three minutes. Lisa, baby.

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Oh, thank you, hon.

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Oh, my God, Lisa, there's hundreds getting on.

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It is. Full and standing right through.

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Bacon and tomato on brown, Lis. Bacon and tomato on brown.

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You've got bacon and cheese coming now.

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OK, thank you.

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We might be running out of cheese.

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Sausage baguette and cheese and tomato toastie on white, please.

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Thank you.

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I'm going to ring somebody in stores now to see if they can get me

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some more on board.

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That's 4.35, please.

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Joe, it's chaos. You haven't got any cheese there, have you?

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Is there a Tesco or something?

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If you get it, I'll give you the money and I'll claim it back.

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Anything else?

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I've done lots of jobs.

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I've been in night-clubs, bars, hotels.

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This time of night, the similarities are very much the same.

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I deal with drunk men, drunk women. Hi, babe.

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A can of Guinness, please.

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Fights, you name it, we have it on the 20:15. Anything else?

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-3.40, please, babe.

-How much?!

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-Don't start.

-BLEEP

-Don't swear. Ooh.

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Did he swear at you, babe?

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Didn't swear at me. He wouldn't dare.

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She's quite fit, verbally fit.

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I've seen her reduce grown men to tears, and we've loved it.

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SHE LAUGHS

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Thanks, babe, lovely. These are absolutely fabulous.

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Oh, what a darling. We've got cheese.

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Thank you. Anything else?

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That's 5.30, please.

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Thank you.

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-Hooray, finished.

-Hooray.

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We need another drink. You could open the bar, couldn't you?

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HE LAUGHS

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No, no, no, this is a very sensible plan.

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We're pleased that we've been able to reach agreement with

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the Department for Transport.

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I think our customers will see the difference.

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Unchanged since it was last expanded 25 years ago, Reading Station

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lies at the heart of the Thames Valley's congestion problem.

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But relief is on its way.

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All the new platform changes as well.

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To reduce disruption and make room for more trains,

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Network Rail has begun a massive ten-year upgrade.

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£900 million is being spent on new lines, platforms and signal systems.

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Over Christmas, the railways will shut down to allow

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some of the most ambitious work yet.

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The schedule is on the next slide here, a lot of work at Reading.

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New 12-car platform, new train detection in the station platform.

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Programme Director, Robbie Burns, has to make sure it's done on time.

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These platforms are going to be worked on at Christmas,

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and then a key bridge, over to the west of Reading,

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is going to be slid in to place over a period of about 94 hours.

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So that's kind of high risk, and unless we do that in the time

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we've got we're going to have a queue of trains

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coming from Southampton waiting to use that bit of railway.

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And we have one slight glitch.

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Rightly, the public is unimpressed,

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and the Department for Transport is unimpressed.

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Just maintaining the old railway in this part of the world

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is a full-time job.

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Five minutes.

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Funded by both the government and train companies, Network Rail

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is responsible for keeping every inch of track up and running.

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And their engineers have to work around a nonstop train timetable.

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Everyone stand clear.

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TRAIN HORN BLOWS

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A lot of times...

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..passengers are sat on that train watching us thinking -

0:18:070:18:10

what are we doing?

0:18:100:18:11

We can't obviously work while their trains are running over us.

0:18:130:18:16

The train must be there in another 30 minutes.

0:18:230:18:25

Or there's a bus to Gatwick.

0:18:250:18:26

But as Christmas shoppers and football fans

0:18:280:18:30

make their way home on Saturday afternoon,

0:18:300:18:33

the 24/7 railway has come to a halt one mile outside Reading Station.

0:18:330:18:37

Mate, this is...this is a...

0:18:380:18:41

Julian, this is a bloody circus, mate.

0:18:410:18:43

Someone needs to take control of it.

0:18:430:18:46

The wheels of a freight train have cut through vital track cables.

0:18:460:18:51

As a result, Route Control in Swindon are unable to monitor

0:18:510:18:56

the position of trains or control signals.

0:18:560:18:59

Have the techs given an ETA on how long they'll be?

0:18:590:19:02

Until the problem's solved,

0:19:020:19:04

trains are running at just 5mph.

0:19:040:19:07

Engineers have been instructed to wait for rail investigators

0:19:110:19:15

to arrive before repairing the cables.

0:19:150:19:19

After three hours, track technician, Mark Kislingbury,

0:19:190:19:23

is told that the investigators won't be coming after all.

0:19:230:19:26

I'm on site, of course I'm on bloody site.

0:19:260:19:29

Thank you very much. Cheers. Bye. "Are you on site?"

0:19:290:19:33

2.5 hours ago I could have done it in perfect daylight.

0:19:340:19:36

2.5 hours ago we could have cured this in 20 minutes.

0:19:360:19:39

It's all the arguing amongst themselves.

0:19:390:19:41

It's weird. I just don't understand it.

0:19:410:19:43

Nige, can we get this lead off.

0:19:430:19:45

Well, we've had a train come off.

0:19:450:19:48

You've got two feeds that go to one rail,

0:19:480:19:51

two feeds go to the other rail.

0:19:510:19:54

He's managed to cut the same cables going to the same rail.

0:19:540:19:57

Miraculous. Just done untold damage.

0:19:590:20:03

The train has just gone past,

0:20:030:20:05

sat there for three hours waiting to be safe enough to go across.

0:20:050:20:09

All we've got to do now is cut out this damaged section

0:20:100:20:13

and replace it with a new one.

0:20:130:20:16

Hopefully.

0:20:160:20:18

As a further result of the signals problems, Network Rail will be

0:20:220:20:25

fined up to £200 per minute by the train operating companies.

0:20:250:20:29

Go on to the front of the carriage.

0:20:320:20:34

Keep going, there's no more room up here.

0:20:340:20:36

And until Mark fixes the fault, most of the 2,000 passengers

0:20:360:20:40

at Reading Station will be going nowhere.

0:20:400:20:43

Right, keep going up the train.

0:20:430:20:44

Busy.

0:20:440:20:46

Where are we going?

0:20:470:20:49

It'll take me an hour to get home.

0:20:490:20:51

Why are you doing this? But it's not right.

0:20:510:20:53

I know, madam, it's not down to me.

0:20:530:20:55

It will take me an hour and a half to get home.

0:20:550:20:57

-Yeah. It's not my fault.

-Yeah, I know, but why did they do that?

0:20:570:21:01

It's not fair on the passengers, it's not fair on the staff.

0:21:010:21:05

He's saying he's not taking anybody else.

0:21:050:21:07

It's going to Didcot and there's a bus.

0:21:070:21:09

You just have to let things ride over the top of your head,

0:21:090:21:13

otherwise you'd just end up giving in.

0:21:130:21:16

-It's just chaos, isn't it?

-Yeah, where do you need to get to?

0:21:170:21:20

Bas..to Southampton.

0:21:200:21:22

Southampton. Yeah, you need platform two, down and around the corner.

0:21:220:21:25

-Platform two?

-Platform two. Change at Basingstoke.

0:21:250:21:28

Oh, no, I've just changed. I'm handicapped.

0:21:280:21:33

The trains running to Manchester have been cancelled.

0:21:330:21:35

I suggest you to go to Oxford and then catch a train onwards.

0:21:350:21:38

-Oxford? Which train to Oxford?

-We're running buses to Oxford.

0:21:380:21:41

PHONE RINGS

0:21:410:21:43

All right, Paul.

0:21:430:21:45

Mate, you have to be quick, mate.

0:21:450:21:47

I'm on it now, mate. Yeah, as we speak.

0:21:480:21:51

Don't cross over, mate.

0:21:570:21:59

No, I've got my head in here, mate.

0:22:010:22:03

All right. Bye.

0:22:040:22:07

HE HUMS A TUNE

0:22:070:22:09

One way or the other, we have to fix it.

0:22:090:22:13

What the lads are doing now is they're putting the cables back in.

0:22:140:22:17

They've done the assessment on the track and hopefully we'll be back up

0:22:170:22:20

and running in about maybe an hour, to get everything moving again.

0:22:200:22:24

Right, that's done, so...

0:22:240:22:26

-Can someone start stripping that other one down, please.

-Yeah, yeah.

0:22:260:22:29

I mean, the minutes are mounting.

0:22:290:22:31

This has been going on since 3.00 this afternoon,

0:22:310:22:34

so every minute it's hundreds of pounds really.

0:22:340:22:37

And this is going to cost a lot, a lot of money.

0:22:370:22:40

'The train arrived on platform seven... '

0:22:430:22:46

Does everything stop in France for signalling problems?

0:22:460:22:49

Does everything stop in Spain for signalling problems? No, it doesn't.

0:22:490:22:52

I'm not exactly over the moon.

0:22:540:22:56

And as for happy bunnies, you've got to find somebody else.

0:22:560:23:00

OK, if you'd like to fill in a comments form and send it off.

0:23:000:23:03

It'll be more than a bloody comment, I can assure you.

0:23:030:23:07

He's done his first mend,

0:23:090:23:11

is it still showing all-clear the track circuit?

0:23:110:23:13

-Oscar Foxtrot is showing clear.

-Hee-hee.

0:23:160:23:19

OK, lovely. OK, thanks a lot. I'll speak to you soon.

0:23:200:23:23

So we can now carry on and be in total confidence

0:23:230:23:28

when we've finished, we'll have a good working railway.

0:23:280:23:31

Five hours after the cables were cut, normal service is resumed.

0:23:360:23:41

By the time they were repaired, the signal problems led

0:23:470:23:50

to 90 cancelled trains, and 4,500 minutes of delay

0:23:500:23:54

across the Thames Valley, costing Network Rail £200,000 in fines.

0:23:540:24:01

Things are going to go wrong. These things...these are moving parts,

0:24:010:24:04

they've got tonnes and tonnes of trains running over them

0:24:040:24:07

at 50/40 miles per hour on the mainlines,

0:24:070:24:10

120/90 miles per hour over a set of switches.

0:24:100:24:14

You're going to get wear, you're going to get tear.

0:24:140:24:17

They're going to fail.

0:24:170:24:18

There's 24 hour cover, 365 days a year.

0:24:190:24:23

We have quite a large section.

0:24:230:24:24

We have a lot of assets to look after and, really and truly,

0:24:240:24:27

we're really struggling.

0:24:270:24:29

It puts the lads under a lot of pressure.

0:24:310:24:33

And when you put people under pressure,

0:24:330:24:35

and when you give them short time,

0:24:350:24:37

something goes wrong or they make a mistake,

0:24:370:24:40

you haven't got any time to correct it or anything like that.

0:24:400:24:44

That's what we're up against.

0:24:440:24:46

It's just all the time,

0:24:460:24:48

a barrage of pressure, pressure, pressure, pressure.

0:24:480:24:52

6:00am, and in the Berkshire village of Twyford,

0:25:020:25:05

station master Norman Toxan, is starting work.

0:25:050:25:08

The trick with a small station is get ahead and stay ahead.

0:25:080:25:14

'Doors opening.'

0:25:140:25:17

Six miles down the line from the urban sprawl of Reading,

0:25:170:25:21

Twyford Station connects the affluent commuters

0:25:210:25:24

of Henley on Thames to the mainline in to London.

0:25:240:25:26

Morning. Morning.

0:25:260:25:29

A quiet village station that springs in to life

0:25:290:25:31

for just two hours every morning.

0:25:310:25:34

Once I've got the train clean, I like to keep it clean.

0:25:360:25:40

It looks better that way. Nothing worse than a dirty train.

0:25:400:25:44

Norman started work on the railways nearly 50 years ago.

0:25:450:25:49

Apart from selling tickets,

0:25:490:25:51

he looks after every aspect of life at Twyford by himself.

0:25:510:25:54

Right, we're ready for anything now.

0:25:560:25:58

We've got a broken window in the booking hall.

0:25:580:26:01

Some little git smashed one of the windows.

0:26:010:26:04

I like to keep it nice for the passengers.

0:26:040:26:06

It's all part of your duties, especially at a small station.

0:26:060:26:09

I mean, when you're on your own, you've got to do it.

0:26:090:26:12

When I came on the railway, it was all sir and madam, and don't

0:26:120:26:15

you dare call them anything else or they wouldn't speak to you.

0:26:150:26:19

We didn't even have a public address system, you had to walk up

0:26:190:26:22

and down the platform shouting out the information to the passengers.

0:26:220:26:26

Wargrave, Shiplake and Henley this way.

0:26:260:26:29

Wargrave, Shiplake and Henley this way.

0:26:290:26:31

No? All right then. Ooh.

0:26:320:26:36

It's too easy to sit in the office and do nothing.

0:26:360:26:39

I like to get out and put myself around.

0:26:390:26:42

Oh, and I could have retired, I could have gone in October.

0:26:420:26:45

I was 65 in October, but I decided to carry on and do 50 years.

0:26:450:26:50

If it had been a bad job, I would have gone.

0:26:500:26:53

But no, it's a very good job.

0:26:530:26:55

-Yes, sir?

-Next train for Henley on Thames.

-Henley?

0:26:550:26:58

I mean, which platform will it be on?

0:26:580:27:00

9:53 the train, platform five.

0:27:000:27:04

Up the stairs and over to the right. Platform five.

0:27:040:27:08

Good morning, good morning. Go for it.

0:27:080:27:11

-Thank you.

-See you later.

-Thank you.

0:27:110:27:14

Mind now, toodle-oo.

0:27:140:27:15

Passengers are tolerant if you treat them right.

0:27:150:27:18

There's nothing worse than standing on a platform

0:27:180:27:21

waiting for a train and not know what the hell is going on.

0:27:210:27:24

Waiting for the 8:26, is that faster?

0:27:240:27:26

If you're going to Paddington, yes.

0:27:260:27:28

It gets in 19 minutes before this one.

0:27:280:27:30

Station announcement, next at platform four,

0:27:300:27:32

the 7:56 fast service for Maidenhead and London Paddington only.

0:27:320:27:36

This is a new system.

0:27:390:27:41

The old system, as soon as your took your finger off the button,

0:27:420:27:45

they couldn't hear what you were talking about.

0:27:450:27:49

This system, you have to remember to turn it off,

0:27:490:27:51

they can hear what you're saying.

0:27:510:27:53

So you have to be a little bit careful.

0:27:530:27:56

I treated them last week to Precious Glory without knowing

0:27:560:27:59

I was doing it, until I got outside on the platform.

0:27:590:28:02

So I've got to remember to turn off.

0:28:020:28:04

You don't win every day.

0:28:050:28:07

I mean, there are problems and you just cannot get around, and you

0:28:070:28:10

have to face that and you have to deal with it when the time comes.

0:28:100:28:14

But most people know that at least I try. I don't win.

0:28:140:28:18

Sometimes it's bloody disaster, but there you go.

0:28:180:28:21

That's how it is, you've got to take that as it comes.

0:28:210:28:24

I was just wondering, this crossing,

0:28:260:28:28

how far is it off the end of the station?

0:28:280:28:31

INDISTINCT RESPONSE

0:28:310:28:32

I wasn't a 100% sure exactly where the crossing was.

0:28:320:28:36

Ten miles away, a person's been hit and killed by a train

0:28:370:28:41

on a foot crossing.

0:28:410:28:42

Ben Rudkin's been called to assist.

0:28:420:28:45

There's potential here that it's not a suicide,

0:28:450:28:48

it might be an accident or something like that.

0:28:480:28:50

So you just kind of have to mentally prepare yourself

0:28:500:28:55

for what you might see.

0:28:550:28:57

With all fatalities,

0:29:000:29:02

a 90 minutes target is set for reopening the lines.

0:29:020:29:05

There's the ambulance.

0:29:080:29:09

There's the train.

0:29:120:29:14

There's the people.

0:29:140:29:16

Ray Thompson, Rail Incident Officer. We've had a fatality.

0:29:190:29:22

The undertakers have now arrived on site.

0:29:240:29:27

Ben's assisting Rail Incident Officer, Ray Thompson,

0:29:330:29:36

who's in charge of getting the line reopened,

0:29:360:29:39

and making sure crossing warning signs were all in place.

0:29:390:29:43

Ben, can you do the crossing check for me, please?

0:29:440:29:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

0:29:470:29:48

Also, can you check for the whistle-board,

0:29:480:29:51

and also take photos, Mr Law said.

0:29:510:29:54

Take some photos. No worries.

0:29:540:29:56

If you could do that for me now, please, I'd appreciate it.

0:29:560:29:58

Yeah, no worries.

0:29:580:29:59

For the British Transport Police, it's a potential crime scene

0:30:010:30:04

and the area has to be thoroughly investigated

0:30:040:30:07

before the train can move.

0:30:070:30:10

We're trying to establish what the facts are.

0:30:100:30:12

We've got a description and a bit of a statement off the train driver,

0:30:120:30:17

it gives us an ideal account of what's happened.

0:30:170:30:20

The line is then searched for any evidence relating to it.

0:30:200:30:24

We have to think of the, you know, the dignity of the deceased.

0:30:240:30:27

However, it costs a lot of money to keep the line closed.

0:30:270:30:31

Did any of those on the train see it or not?

0:30:330:30:35

I don't know. I don't know. There was...

0:30:350:30:37

It's not really our job, is it?

0:30:370:30:39

There was young students and there was a mother with kids in a pram.

0:30:390:30:44

Whether they saw it, I don't know.

0:30:440:30:46

Where's the driver, is he this end, other end?

0:30:460:30:48

-The driver is in his own end.

-What's the train like?

0:30:480:30:50

Train's OK. A wee bit in the front, and a wee bit of damage.

0:30:500:30:53

OK, well, I need to have a look at that and decide

0:30:530:30:55

whether it goes in to station service.

0:30:550:30:59

Obviously, the driver's just watched someone die underneath his train,

0:30:590:31:03

and he's seen that from an absolute...

0:31:030:31:05

Absolute in the driving seat.

0:31:050:31:07

A lot of the time the driver won't be comfortable taking it forward,

0:31:070:31:10

and absolutely that's to be expected.

0:31:100:31:13

Is it open?

0:31:160:31:17

Yeah, yeah, it's open.

0:31:170:31:19

There you go, the crossing's open again.

0:31:240:31:27

Back open for business.

0:31:270:31:28

It's thought this was a tragic accident.

0:31:300:31:33

It's Ben's fourth fatality in just five months

0:31:330:31:36

of working on the tracks.

0:31:360:31:38

I've never done anything close to this sort of responsibility

0:31:400:31:44

and it's absolutely a new experience.

0:31:440:31:46

I suppose things like this do stay with you and you do remember

0:31:460:31:49

things, but nothing that troubles me or causes me to lose any sleep.

0:31:490:31:53

-See you later.

-OK, cheers. Thank you, Ben.

0:31:530:31:57

If you were constantly thinking about things like that,

0:31:570:31:59

I don't think you'd be able to do the job.

0:31:590:32:01

Perhaps for me,

0:32:010:32:03

it's my kind of youthful enthusiasm that gets me through it.

0:32:030:32:06

That's it. Away you go.

0:32:060:32:09

There are 300 deaths on the railway every year.

0:32:090:32:13

Around 80% are suicides.

0:32:130:32:16

Of the three I've attended here,

0:32:160:32:19

the first one was a 16-year-old with drink and drugs.

0:32:190:32:23

The second one I dealt with, I think the chap had mental problems,

0:32:240:32:29

and the third had murdered his wife.

0:32:290:32:31

So...

0:32:310:32:33

When you ask people, when you ask someone,

0:32:380:32:41

"Well, what's the problem? Come on, sit down, tell me."

0:32:410:32:43

You're never quite sure what they are going to tell you.

0:32:430:32:47

You can't walk away, you've got to deal with them.

0:32:470:32:49

If anything happens to them, you've got to live with the thought that

0:32:490:32:52

maybe you just could have done something,

0:32:520:32:55

you just could have said something.

0:32:550:32:57

Christmas Eve and in a few hours the railways will be closed,

0:33:050:33:09

and the upgrade work around Reading Station will begin.

0:33:090:33:12

Hello. Control.

0:33:210:33:22

OK, the 11:29 arrival...

0:33:220:33:24

But first, tens of thousands of passengers are making

0:33:240:33:27

their festive get-away from London's Paddington Station.

0:33:270:33:31

We've got two drivers going out to number five now.

0:33:310:33:34

Station Control will have to manage 500 trains and relay information

0:33:340:33:38

to 150,000 passengers and staff during the Christmas rush.

0:33:380:33:42

Make sure it's locked up, please,

0:33:420:33:44

so we can allow passengers to board safely.

0:33:440:33:47

Can you move further down? There's still people trying to get on.

0:33:500:33:54

-Have you got a reserved seat?

-No.

-Good luck.

0:33:540:33:57

WHISTLE BLOWS

0:33:570:33:59

Base to Alpha 6SE.

0:33:590:34:01

'Receiving.'

0:34:010:34:02

It turns out someone's been left behind at the

0:34:020:34:05

First Class lounge for the 12:06.

0:34:050:34:06

'Received.'

0:34:060:34:08

Hello there. Is that where you want us to hold on everything?

0:34:090:34:14

I'll stop all movement out the station then on the down.

0:34:140:34:18

Everything, no movement, please, at the moment.

0:34:180:34:20

Can you stop all...?

0:34:200:34:21

Nothing to depart until we get clarification of this incident.

0:34:210:34:25

Right...

0:34:250:34:26

Every service has to stand at Paddington Station

0:34:260:34:30

until further notice.

0:34:300:34:32

It's 11:00am, and at a critical junction en route in to

0:34:320:34:36

Paddington a driver has reported striking an object.

0:34:360:34:40

All lines have been stopped until they can establish

0:34:400:34:43

what the train hit.

0:34:430:34:44

This train here is at a stand just to the west of Haye Station.

0:34:440:34:49

And at the moment, that's a Heathrow Express at that red signal,

0:34:490:34:52

and that's a Swansea to Paddington at that red signal.

0:34:520:34:56

So at the moment we're...until that actually moves,

0:34:560:34:59

neither of these two trains can move.

0:34:590:35:01

So currently, the fast lines to London are blocked at the moment.

0:35:010:35:04

'This service is being delayed.

0:35:040:35:06

'I do apologise for the delay to this service.

0:35:060:35:08

'Any passengers travelling to Oxford...'

0:35:080:35:11

Are you OK there, Wayne, you're all good?

0:35:110:35:14

I'm loving it.

0:35:140:35:15

THEY ALL LAUGH

0:35:150:35:17

It makes getting up at 4:30 in the morning worth it.

0:35:170:35:21

HE LAUGHS

0:35:210:35:22

My philosophy is always to stay cool as much as possible when you can.

0:35:220:35:27

I always tell any customers out here if there's a bit of disruption,

0:35:270:35:32

hang around, sit down, take it easy, have a cup of coffee,

0:35:320:35:35

go to the bar and just rest until it's all gone away.

0:35:350:35:40

You don't want to have a bad Christmas.

0:35:400:35:42

At Lost Property, Hayley Sexton's struggling under a Christmas deluge.

0:35:450:35:50

Sometimes they can just put for item lost - black bag, that's it.

0:35:500:35:54

It's like well, we've got 50 black bags,

0:35:540:35:56

so it's a little bit difficult.

0:35:560:35:58

We had a guy not long ago he came in, he said,

0:35:580:36:01

"Oh, I don't know what the colour of the plastic bag was, I was drunk."

0:36:010:36:04

I'm only doing my job, obviously, I have to ask them the questions.

0:36:040:36:06

We still need to make sure that the owners that are claiming

0:36:060:36:10

the items are the owners.

0:36:100:36:11

You're looking for a white Nokia, is that correct?

0:36:110:36:14

OK, we've definitely got nothing in the description

0:36:140:36:16

-that you're looking for.

-Nothing's handed in?

0:36:160:36:18

Not with the one that you're looking for, sir.

0:36:180:36:20

You need to be able to give me the right description

0:36:200:36:22

so that I can check for you.

0:36:220:36:24

-I'm just asking you nicely, right.

-Yeah, but you've said to me

0:36:240:36:26

you're looking for a Nokia phone that's white.

0:36:260:36:29

Then you said it's black. Then you said you'd lost a Samsung.

0:36:290:36:31

No, no, no, all I said to you... you've got a phone in there,

0:36:310:36:34

because it's still ringing now.

0:36:340:36:35

Yeah, but the thing is, you would need to confirm SIM card details.

0:36:350:36:38

-I can confirm all that because it's a contract phone.

-OK.

0:36:380:36:41

So do you want to do that with me now and then we'll do it that way?

0:36:410:36:44

No, no. My phone is still ringing, do you understand?

0:36:440:36:47

-Yeah, OK.

-And nobody's made a call on it.

-I understand.

0:36:470:36:49

But if you can try and get the details for the phone

0:36:490:36:52

then that would be great.

0:36:520:36:53

I've got the phone number. I can give everything that's on the phone

0:36:530:36:56

because it's got all my numbers on it.

0:36:560:36:58

I'm not going to deal with you any further,

0:36:580:37:00

and if you carry on I'm going to have to call the police.

0:37:000:37:02

-Why are you being nasty?

-I'm not being nasty.

0:37:020:37:04

I'm trying to do my best to help you, but I can't search for you

0:37:040:37:07

if I don't have the correct details of what you're looking for.

0:37:070:37:10

-What time do you close tonight?

-5:00.

-All right.

0:37:100:37:12

OK, take care.

0:37:120:37:14

He basically came in and he said he's looking for

0:37:160:37:19

a white Nokia mobile phone.

0:37:190:37:20

Then he changed it to OK, it's not white, it could be black.

0:37:200:37:23

Then he said, "Well, has any Nokias been handed in?"

0:37:230:37:26

So you do get a little bit irritated,

0:37:260:37:28

but you have to still stay calm.

0:37:280:37:30

I've got used to it by now, so I'm a pro.

0:37:300:37:34

Right, permission now is granted for trains to depart, please.

0:37:340:37:38

So we can rid of the 12:00s got the road on one,

0:37:380:37:42

that can go, and then we'll board everything else as normal, please.

0:37:420:37:45

Base to all mobiles, base to all mobiles, we can run as normal now.

0:37:450:37:50

We're being told that...

0:37:500:37:52

It's been confirmed that the train near Haye Station

0:37:520:37:55

didn't hit a person.

0:37:550:37:57

HE LAUGHS

0:37:570:37:58

So yeah, it's always a bit of a relief,

0:37:580:38:00

because we all panic pretty much everywhere that it's going to

0:38:000:38:03

go wrong, especially at this ultra busy time.

0:38:030:38:06

But it looks as though all good. So no-one dead.

0:38:060:38:11

HORN BEEPS

0:38:270:38:29

How are you today, Mr Roberts?

0:38:330:38:34

I'm all right, thank you, how about you?

0:38:340:38:36

-I'm all good. It's good to see you again.

-Yeah, and you.

0:38:360:38:38

Are you off to see your lady friend over Christmas?

0:38:380:38:41

I am, we're spending Christmas and New Year together.

0:38:410:38:43

When not manning Paddington's Control Room, Graham Parker

0:38:430:38:46

runs the waiting room for Passenger Assist,

0:38:460:38:50

a dedicated mobility service

0:38:500:38:51

for elderly and disabled train travellers.

0:38:510:38:55

-What time are you travelling?

-Pardon?

0:38:550:38:56

-What time are you travelling?

-Sorry?

0:38:560:38:59

-What time are you travelling?

-12:18.

0:38:590:39:01

12:18. Yes.

0:39:010:39:02

Alpha three to Alpha six.

0:39:020:39:04

It's a tough place to work.

0:39:040:39:06

You can get sort of caught up in the panic of Christmas, but it's...

0:39:060:39:09

I think it's a lot of fun, to be honest.

0:39:090:39:12

You get a lot of people come in, they're really happy, they're

0:39:120:39:14

happy about meeting their family and their friends for Christmas.

0:39:140:39:18

You soak it up, it's nice.

0:39:180:39:20

Is this Paddington to Newport?

0:39:200:39:21

Yeah. I'm going to take you there now.

0:39:210:39:24

Is it, oh, thank you. Well, I thank you very much.

0:39:240:39:26

Bye-bye. Nice to have met you. Thank you, thank you so much.

0:39:260:39:31

Your train will in about five minutes to.

0:39:310:39:33

OK.

0:39:330:39:34

Before I did this I was working in luxury jewellery retail,

0:39:340:39:38

which was a lot of fun,

0:39:380:39:40

but in the end, I was sort of serving ultra expensive products to

0:39:400:39:46

very, very rich people, and all the time I just wanted to help out.

0:39:460:39:52

I wanted to be doing something a little bit more meaningful.

0:39:520:39:54

-What's the name, sorry?

-Doutch.

-Doutch?

-Yes.

0:39:540:39:58

My dad was on the railway for over 30 years and he helped me

0:39:580:40:01

acquire this job here.

0:40:010:40:02

I've never looked back since, to be honest.

0:40:020:40:05

-Is it William or something?

-That's it, yeah.

0:40:050:40:08

Quiet coach with seats as near as possible to the door.

0:40:100:40:13

I can't stand...I can't cope with sudden loud noises.

0:40:130:40:18

And no matter how many people are being carried on the train,

0:40:180:40:21

if the people at Totnes know where I am,

0:40:210:40:23

they will fight on to the train to rescue me.

0:40:230:40:27

No problem, sir.

0:40:270:40:28

After suffering a serious assault 15 years ago,

0:40:280:40:32

Major Tim McCoy relies on the service.

0:40:320:40:35

On the 6th October, 1993, I was changing lines at Euston.

0:40:350:40:42

I was hit from behind, robbed, pushed unconscious down the main escalator.

0:40:420:40:49

I was in a coma for five days.

0:40:490:40:52

It was three months before I could tell anybody what had

0:40:520:40:56

happened to me, by which time it was a little late to do anything about it.

0:40:560:41:00

Right, off we go. Cheerio.

0:41:000:41:03

I'm not being beaten by my injuries, I'm fighting them.

0:41:030:41:07

I think they're looked down upon because all they are

0:41:090:41:12

are people in Railtrack uniforms driving the electric trucks.

0:41:120:41:15

They are thinking people that take a great pride in their work.

0:41:170:41:22

They're empathetic, they're concerned, they're thoughtful

0:41:220:41:25

and they're worthy of praise, not derision.

0:41:250:41:29

Have a good Christmas, Major McCoy.

0:41:290:41:31

-Thank you very much.

-Bye-bye.

-And you too.

-Yeah.

0:41:310:41:34

Have you got empty seats in First Class? We'll pay for tickets.

0:41:410:41:44

We'll get you on the next available. Where are you travelling to?

0:41:440:41:46

-Plymouth.

-Plymouth.

0:41:460:41:48

We did book seats, but nothing came out on the Trainline.

0:41:480:41:50

I can't believe you sell tickets for overcrowded trains, it's ridiculous.

0:41:500:41:53

It's the busiest time of the year, sir, unfortunately.

0:41:530:41:56

Down the line at Reading Station,

0:42:090:42:11

the last Christmas Eve revellers are making their way home.

0:42:110:42:14

Yeah, could just do with some assistance on the footbridge.

0:42:170:42:21

For 23-year-old Antonio Chivatilo

0:42:210:42:23

and his British Transport Police colleagues, it's a busy night.

0:42:230:42:27

-What's going on up here then?

-Nothing.

0:42:270:42:29

-Who's kicking off?

-No-one. What can you arrest me for?

0:42:290:42:33

-You've been told to leave the station.

-Why do I have to leave?

0:42:330:42:36

It's private property and at any given time...

0:42:360:42:38

-It's not private property.

-Of course it is.

0:42:380:42:40

-It's public liability.

-Unfortunately, it's not.

0:42:400:42:42

Yeah, I've got a ticket, bruv. So I'm a paying customer.

0:42:420:42:45

Where are they travelling to?

0:42:450:42:46

Finished mate, they're getting off in the town.

0:42:460:42:49

-Oh, are they?

-Just got a very clever mouth.

0:42:490:42:51

You're such jokers. You're such jokers, bruv.

0:42:510:42:54

Another fine male on a Saturday night at Reading.

0:42:540:42:57

Merry Christmas, Police.

0:43:000:43:03

HUMS THEME FROM THE BILL

0:43:030:43:06

I haven't heard that theme tune in a long time.

0:43:060:43:08

Funded jointly by train operating companies and Network Rail,

0:43:080:43:12

British Transport Police have a presence in every major station

0:43:120:43:16

across the UK, where they have the same powers as normal police.

0:43:160:43:22

This station is quite central to the town and the bars.

0:43:220:43:26

We've got two night-clubs just literally outside the door.

0:43:260:43:29

People are not so bad going out, but when they're coming back to

0:43:310:43:34

catch their last trains back home, sometimes they're a bit

0:43:340:43:36

worse for wear, especially with the Christmas parties at the moment.

0:43:360:43:41

Arguments can become heated. What's the problem, then?

0:43:410:43:44

There was about 20 of them stood in front of me, going,

0:43:440:43:47

"Do you want a fight? Come outside." But I hadn't done nothing to them.

0:43:470:43:50

-Ant, can you take this young man back to the office.

-Yeah.

0:43:500:43:53

OK, we need to get some details, get some details of next of kin.

0:43:530:43:56

One of my colleagues was on patrol, one of our PCSOs,

0:43:570:44:01

he's seen an altercation between a large group of children,

0:44:010:44:04

as they've seen him, they've dispersed.

0:44:040:44:07

We're just trying to find out what's happened.

0:44:070:44:09

We need to take some details, obviously, the intoxication,

0:44:090:44:11

you're only 16, mate, all right.

0:44:110:44:13

I'm going to confiscate this alcohol off you.

0:44:130:44:15

Let me have this one.

0:44:150:44:16

Listen, you're not having any of it. Listen to me...

0:44:160:44:19

-No, because the one in the black bag.

-Just listen to me.

0:44:190:44:21

Listen to what I'm going to say to you.

0:44:210:44:24

You're not having any of it now, but you can have it all back.

0:44:240:44:27

Do you want to come in for drunk and disorderly,

0:44:270:44:29

or leave the station of your own accord? What do you want to do?

0:44:290:44:32

Leave the station now and then you come back?

0:44:320:44:34

Can I at least take the beers?

0:44:340:44:35

No, you can't take the beer that you're having.

0:44:350:44:38

Leave on your own or get arrested.

0:44:380:44:40

And are you known to the police at all?

0:44:400:44:42

-Yeah, I am, mate, yeah.

-What are you known for, mate?

0:44:420:44:44

ABH, GBH. But this was a couple of years ago.

0:44:440:44:47

Oh, that's good, mate. All right.

0:44:470:44:49

I've got a job now, I've got a place of my own.

0:44:490:44:51

What are you doing, then?

0:44:510:44:53

That's a good job, mate, that's a good career to be in.

0:44:530:44:58

I was a car salesman for three years,

0:44:580:45:00

so not the sort of job people would think I would in fact come from.

0:45:000:45:04

But your talking skills and the people skills

0:45:040:45:06

I received from that have helped me an awful lot in this job.

0:45:060:45:09

I'm not a fighter, you know.

0:45:090:45:11

I was a boxer for six years, mate.

0:45:110:45:13

-Was you?

-Yeah. Not any more, I retired years ago.

0:45:130:45:16

You've got the nose. I can tell.

0:45:160:45:18

I'm not much older than them themselves.

0:45:180:45:20

And a lot of them sometimes might have had a bad history, but want

0:45:200:45:24

to look forward and make a few right choices in life, and seeing someone

0:45:240:45:28

at my age in the position that I am, it shows them that there is hope

0:45:280:45:32

out there to change your life around and improve and move on from there.

0:45:320:45:36

I'll take you guys to platform two, all right,

0:45:360:45:38

and I'll leave you be from there.

0:45:380:45:40

-Thank you very much.

-Have you got a ticket on you?

0:45:400:45:42

No, I haven't, no.

0:45:420:45:43

The last passengers and trains have left Reading Station

0:45:490:45:53

and they won't return until after Christmas.

0:45:530:45:55

But for thousands of contractors and Network Rail staff

0:46:010:46:04

festivities are put on hold.

0:46:040:46:07

They have just 72 hours to complete upgrade works,

0:46:070:46:11

and if they miss their target

0:46:110:46:13

it will mean big disruption to trains across the South of England.

0:46:130:46:18

One of the most ambitious challenges is at nearby Cow Lane.

0:46:220:46:25

The old rail bridge has been completely demolished

0:46:270:46:29

and preparations are underway to move a new bridge into place.

0:46:290:46:33

Site manager, Steve Cornish, is in charge of the move,

0:46:360:46:39

and local residents have gathered to watch proceedings.

0:46:390:46:43

In terms of size, you know,

0:46:450:46:47

we've got a 1,700 tonne bridge to move into place.

0:46:470:46:50

The Mammoet system we use is averaging 350 tonne,

0:46:520:46:56

so we've got over 2,100 tonne of machine and concrete

0:46:560:47:01

to then drive and place accurately with a GPS system guide on it.

0:47:010:47:05

We need to get the bridge in and we need to get the railway open.

0:47:050:47:09

We have a job, and we have a job to do.

0:47:090:47:11

At Reading Station, Jimmy McWhirter will oversee

0:47:170:47:19

the construction of an entire new platform.

0:47:190:47:22

How you doing? Merry Christmas, fella.

0:47:220:47:25

The same to you, yeah.

0:47:250:47:27

Santa's landed. He's three minutes late if he ain't.

0:47:270:47:30

Ho-ho-ho. This operation over the next few days is massive.

0:47:300:47:35

We bring over, via crane, pieces of Lego, if you like,

0:47:350:47:39

which will all fit together along the edge of this platform

0:47:390:47:41

and over that vale to make a new platform.

0:47:410:47:44

Each of the 48 sections weighs in at four tonnes...

0:47:440:47:48

INDISTINCT YELLING

0:47:480:47:51

..and has to be positioned with millimetre accuracy.

0:47:510:47:54

Do you want us to drop it first?

0:47:540:47:56

We've got the surveyor guy on the far corner

0:47:580:48:00

with his little prism there.

0:48:000:48:02

You know, it's 20mm this way, 50mm that way.

0:48:020:48:05

Do you want to bring that up first, then we'll see...?

0:48:050:48:08

If you really got it wrong, the train would strike the platform.

0:48:080:48:12

The muck in the forefoot of the rail is where, with the old trains,

0:48:140:48:17

where people flush them in the station, it's all the waste.

0:48:170:48:21

It's like concrete.

0:48:220:48:24

Hang on, Kev, that's looking at it, mate.

0:48:270:48:29

Mate, it's going on to the cable.

0:48:290:48:31

Take it out another foot,

0:48:310:48:32

Kevin, I'll jump down and lift it over that block.

0:48:320:48:34

Don't pull it till it's over the block.

0:48:340:48:36

Jimmy, Jimmy, watch yourself mate, Jimmy.

0:48:370:48:40

The public think it's all our fault.

0:48:400:48:42

"What the bloody hell is the railway doing?"

0:48:420:48:44

Well, what we're doing is making it better.

0:48:440:48:46

All they see is that,

0:48:460:48:48

"Oh, I've got to get a bus or I've been told there's no trains

0:48:480:48:51

"now for 48 hours, how am I going to travel down to see my Auntie Flo?"

0:48:510:48:53

We would love to be able to turn round and say,

0:48:530:48:56

"We need five days," but we can't get that.

0:48:560:48:58

We get the 72 hours, which is planned to the minute.

0:48:580:49:01

Every 15 minutes we've got to be able to say that

0:49:010:49:03

we're still on track.

0:49:030:49:05

Whoa!

0:49:050:49:06

At Cow Lane, the bridge move

0:49:150:49:17

and laying of tracks has fallen nine hours behind the schedule,

0:49:170:49:20

seriously threatening to disrupt the first trains after Christmas.

0:49:200:49:24

-You've got enough leeway?

-Apparently so, yes.

0:49:260:49:28

Apparently so. You hope there's enough leeway.

0:49:280:49:31

No, there is.

0:49:310:49:33

They do ask some strange questions, such as,

0:49:340:49:36

"Have you knocked the old bridge down yet?"

0:49:360:49:39

24 hours, 48 hours after it's gone.

0:49:390:49:41

Right, lead on then, MacDuff.

0:49:430:49:45

Programme Director, Robbie Burns, has arrived to check on the works.

0:49:450:49:48

Right, Kevin, we've done a little bit of PR and you

0:49:480:49:51

and I will just go and talk to these people here,

0:49:510:49:54

see if they're interested in what we're doing, yeah.

0:49:540:49:56

Thanks for coming out on a cold day, it's really nice to see you.

0:49:560:50:00

-It's not cold.

-No, it isn't.

0:50:000:50:01

I put all my thermals on yesterday, it was too hot.

0:50:010:50:04

I'm the Director for the works out from London to Didcot,

0:50:040:50:08

so this is one my key sites.

0:50:080:50:10

-Where the buck stops?

-Pardon?

0:50:100:50:11

Yeah, well, obviously it's high risk for us,

0:50:110:50:14

we've got a train coming through. Our first train through is the 28th

0:50:140:50:18

at 10:52, that's the target for us.

0:50:180:50:21

There have been some issues, as you've probably heard.

0:50:210:50:23

What we were expecting there and the water table

0:50:230:50:26

and the shale wasn't quite what we've actually got,

0:50:260:50:29

so it's taken us longer than we thought.

0:50:290:50:31

Steve, when you've got a minute, just give me

0:50:330:50:36

a minute of your time, will you?

0:50:360:50:38

-How are you?

-You all right, how's it going in terms of work?

0:50:380:50:42

It's put a lot of pressure on the lads now.

0:50:420:50:44

We're getting on top of it again but, you know,

0:50:440:50:46

these boys have been working hard all day, from 7:00 this morning.

0:50:460:50:50

Having a break on the run and something to eat.

0:50:500:50:53

But the spirits are up

0:50:530:50:54

and we're trying to crack on and get back on the programme.

0:50:540:50:57

Right, how close are we to the margins on that?

0:50:570:51:00

I don't know, you'd better speak to the boys fronting the figures

0:51:000:51:03

on that one, Robbie, I couldn't honestly tell you on that one.

0:51:030:51:06

No, I'd rather hear it from you, Steve,

0:51:060:51:08

because you know what you're doing.

0:51:080:51:09

I know what we're doing, but we're trying to do the best we can

0:51:090:51:12

to get the bridge in place on time and on the button.

0:51:120:51:16

A lot's at stake.

0:51:190:51:21

When this isn't handed back and the public are affected then, obviously,

0:51:210:51:27

there's deep dissatisfaction, and our reputation is at stake.

0:51:270:51:32

There can be no excuses, there's no sympathy for us.

0:51:320:51:35

We've got to nail it.

0:51:350:51:37

You go to Oxford and change. So if you take this second vehicle here...

0:51:430:51:47

With the railways shut, Network Rail has provided 35 buses to

0:51:480:51:52

keep passengers moving during the upgrade.

0:51:520:51:55

Oxford?

0:51:550:51:57

-Second one.

-Thank you.

0:51:570:51:59

HE CRIES Stay with Mummy.

0:52:010:52:03

Maybe next time they'll do it in term time when it's not so hectic.

0:52:030:52:07

Do you want to pop your bags in the back there?

0:52:070:52:09

At Cow Lane, extra manpower has been brought in

0:52:230:52:26

to complete the bridge foundations.

0:52:260:52:28

Midnight, December 27th.

0:52:330:52:35

-How long?

-Last time you asked, I think I said about half an hour.

0:52:370:52:41

-Yeah.

-And I'm probably going to say the same thing now.

0:52:410:52:43

-Another half an hour.

-About another half an hour.

0:52:430:52:46

Might be back tomorrow.

0:52:460:52:49

It might still be there.

0:52:490:52:50

Site manager Steve and his team have managed to claw back valuable time.

0:52:520:52:57

We've had a challenge all day to get where we are.

0:52:570:53:00

We're throwing as much plant and men as we can at it, but the lads

0:53:000:53:03

have pulled it off, so fair play, all due to them like, you know.

0:53:030:53:07

Now we're firing up the lifting system,

0:53:070:53:09

and then getting the bridge in place, and everyone's happy.

0:53:090:53:13

A 1,600 tonne bridge is being moved using a 350 tonne

0:53:180:53:23

remote controlled lifting system with 266 wheels.

0:53:230:53:27

It takes four hours to move the bridge 60 metres into place.

0:53:320:53:36

600 high density polystyrene blocks and 2,500 tonnes of crushed rock

0:53:420:53:48

are used to rebuild the embankment and secure the bridge in place.

0:53:480:53:52

It's been a hard one, but it's getting there now.

0:54:000:54:03

I mean, you see what they've done.

0:54:050:54:07

They've taken out an old bridge that was failing, and then

0:54:070:54:10

when you look over there, there's a lovely brand-new shiny bridge.

0:54:100:54:13

We're all looking forward to getting home with the wives and children,

0:54:130:54:16

opening up our presents, everyone else has done theirs,

0:54:160:54:19

so we've got something to look forward to.

0:54:190:54:21

Cow Lane bridge is back open just in time for the first train

0:54:250:54:29

after Christmas.

0:54:290:54:31

And at Reading Station, the new platform ten is complete.

0:54:340:54:37

Cheers, driver.

0:54:370:54:39

Thanks very much.

0:54:390:54:41

Reading is safe on platform ten.

0:54:420:54:44

Now we're going for a cup of tea.

0:54:450:54:48

Relief for one of the country's most congested commuter belts

0:54:500:54:53

is one step closer.

0:54:530:54:55

How much is it meant to be?

0:55:020:55:04

Across the Thames Valley commuter belt,

0:55:060:55:09

just over 90% of train services run on time.

0:55:090:55:12

But as passengers return in the New Year

0:55:120:55:15

there's one thing that the railways can't control.

0:55:150:55:18

The great British weather.

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'London/Basingstoke line has been suspended,

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'this is due to a tree on the track.

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'Please listen carefully for further announcements regarding

0:55:280:55:31

'services for stations to Basingstoke this morning.'

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The situation is a train on its way up from Basingstoke to

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Reading has struck a tree, and that tree is wedged underneath the train.

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If there's one line working, I can't understand why they can't send

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one train one way, then something the other when it arrives.

0:55:450:55:47

At least it's something running.

0:55:470:55:49

It's definitely cancelled then.

0:55:490:55:50

'Yeah.'

0:55:500:55:51

Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

0:55:540:55:57

For Reading West, board the Bramley and Basingstoke,

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buses waiting outside.

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The prices have gone up today just to rub salt into the wound.

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So no, we're not very happy. Public transport, why use it?

0:56:060:56:10

There are two buses outside waiting for instructions.

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They will be getting instructions from station managers.

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They're sitting there blocking up the traffic.

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How long will all that take?

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-Well, it's gone now, hasn't it?

-Platform six.

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It's gone then, hasn't it?

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It's running late. Up the stairs across the footbridge.

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Thank you. Have fun.

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Ooh...fun?

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