0:00:03 > 0:00:05Britain's railway...
0:00:05 > 0:00:07OVER TANNOY: 'We are sorry to announce that the 18...'
0:00:07 > 0:00:09..the oldest and one of the busiest in the world.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12- Thank you. Thank you. - Just slow down! Slow down!
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Surely this is illegal, to be packed in like this!
0:00:16 > 0:00:20A huge network under constant pressure.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Absolutely mental today.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24- No driver.- No driver?
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Come on, guys! Look for the driver and guard!
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Where anything and everything...
0:00:30 > 0:00:31SHOUTS ORDER
0:00:31 > 0:00:34..can mean delay and chaos for thousands.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35Backs against the wall.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38He's got a suicidal female on board.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Train now 90 late, owing to hitting a pheasant.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I've heard everything now.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Filmed over a year across the nation...
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- That one, fella?- That one. There's a seat next to t'banana.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52..we go behind the scenes of an industry
0:00:52 > 0:00:54we all love to complain about...
0:00:54 > 0:00:55Do you want a hand?
0:00:55 > 0:00:57So...oh, no. That's £323.50.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Oi! Right, right, right!
0:01:02 > 0:01:05..with the railway people determined to keep Britain moving.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08To infinity and beyond!
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Into battle.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13HORN BLARES
0:01:16 > 0:01:20This programme contains strong language.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23All the way down! Come on!
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Every inch counts!
0:01:26 > 0:01:29- And yous all look gorgeous! - Thank you.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33They're phenomenal. I've seen some lovely Christian Louboutins today.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I've been a bit jealous of them, to be honest.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39I love Christian Louboutins.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Ladies' Day at Aintree Racecourse...
0:01:43 > 0:01:44Feel lucky today?
0:01:45 > 0:01:49..and the railways of Merseyside are awash with colour.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52I can't pronounce that top one.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55"Absolutely Fantastic"? That'll do me.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Absolutely Fantastic.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01For this one day every year,
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Merseyrail's 59 electric trains take the strain of 50,000 race-goers.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08- TANNOY:- Welcome to Aintree. Welcome to Aintree.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Please have your tickets ready for inspection in order to leave the station.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Have your tickets in your hand for a speedy exit.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Speedy exit from the station guaranteed
0:02:16 > 0:02:18with your tickets in your hand.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21All of them guarded smoothly through
0:02:21 > 0:02:25by the voice of station announcer Chris Bowden-Smith.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28They think it's a mirror, and we have a lot of fun
0:02:28 > 0:02:30where they adjust their hair and adjust their lipstick
0:02:30 > 0:02:33whilst looking into the window, because they think it's a mirror.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35They are particularly nice.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38But I'm afraid it's rather lost on me because I'm gay.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40I'm looking at the men.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45And if there's a problem with the trains, I can slip in a mad word,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49like, "The trains are late due to choffspotification",
0:02:49 > 0:02:52and nobody will have any idea what it means, but it sounds convincing.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55I'm sorry. I'll have to take that from you. You can't drink.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- TANNOY:- We hope you have a great time today, but would like to remind you
0:02:58 > 0:03:01that no alcohol can be consumed on the Merseyrail Network.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04If we consider you to be unfit to travel later,
0:03:04 > 0:03:09we may refuse you access to our network for a return journey.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Move all the way down, please!
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Right to the end of the platform, please!
0:03:14 > 0:03:19We don't allow drunks on the railway. It's a no-go situation.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Come on, all the way down. Squidge, squidge, squidge.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24'A young girl died just a few months ago.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26'She fell between the train and the platform,'
0:03:26 > 0:03:30and that's not something we ever want to happen again to anybody.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35All right, calm down! Don't push! You'll get on!
0:03:35 > 0:03:38On days like this, you can feel the pressure.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41You've got a lot of people's safety in your care.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43They're your passengers.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46You've got to look after them and look out for them.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- You're wonderful.- Thank you.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Guys, if you just speed it up a bit! Left or right for Liverpool!
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Go either way, left or right!
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Passengers must remain behind the yellow lines at all times
0:03:57 > 0:04:00until the train has come to a complete stand.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04'Please do not cross the yellow line until the train has stopped.'
0:04:04 > 0:04:07I end up, after all this time, feeling a little bit like a robot.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11As long as it sounds convincing, that's the important part.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13It's got to get across as sincere.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17I wouldn't want it to sound like I was being completely false.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21So, if you can fake sincerity, you've got it made.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34150 miles away in south Wales,
0:04:34 > 0:04:39Mobile Operations Manager Joel Morris is trackside near Bargoed.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Seem to have made a mess in here, don't they?
0:04:49 > 0:04:52They've broken in and cut every bit of cable that's in here.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Quite a lot of damage, as you can see.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Joel's part of Network Rail's Incident Response Team
0:04:57 > 0:05:01in the Welsh Valleys. He's checking out damage by vandals
0:05:01 > 0:05:04to this newly installed telecommunications box.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07They must have forced their way in through the door first,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and just ripped out everything that was of value.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Copper is nearly £3,000 a ton.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15I should imagine that's the incentive.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Even though there's lots of power going through these cables,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21they'll risk it for the outcome, for the money.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26The air-conditioning unit has been taken as well.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27Everything of value.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30It's 70, 80, £100,000, I should imagine,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32to redo this all out again.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Decades of industrial decline
0:05:39 > 0:05:41have led to high levels of deprivation
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and crime in the Valleys,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45and with more than a million pounds lost
0:05:45 > 0:05:48to opportunist thieves and criminal gangs every year,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51the railway is one of the biggest victims.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58But trains are crucial to the region's revival.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Does anybody want to mention the mighty Manchester United?
0:06:01 > 0:06:02No, no? You don't want to mention...?
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Do you want to mention the mighty Manchester?
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Yeah.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Roll in again. Number 20 coming up.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12THEY SPEAK WELSH
0:06:12 > 0:06:17Five years ago, the Ebbw Valley didn't even have a railway.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20The line was cut in the 1960s.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24We're late. A minute late. Not good.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28But now the area has been thrown a lifeline -
0:06:28 > 0:06:31an hourly service that connects passengers
0:06:31 > 0:06:35from more than ten communities to jobs in Cardiff.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37- Return, yeah?- Yeah.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41When we first came up here on the route, and were going through the stations,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43and they're like watching you,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and they can't believe they've seen a train,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49cos it's been 40-odd years since they've had a train, you know?
0:06:49 > 0:06:50Lovely. Thanks very much.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Train conductor David Williams has worked the line since it reopened.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- Morning, fellas. - Morning. All right? Aye.
0:06:57 > 0:06:58'A lot of these people know me on here.'
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- Lovely. Thank you both. Good morning!- Morning.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04You could walk through that door and make or break someone's day.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06You can go through there with a foul mood,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08and they're in a bad mood then.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- All right, lovely. Thanks a lot. Hello!- Hello there.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- All right, buddy? - That was down the seats.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Whereabouts was it?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18On the floor, in the seat quite close to the second door, yeah.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Right. Better hand that in at Cardiff.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Valley life, you see it all.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26There was a lovely lady down Romsey,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28who used to sunbathe topless out the back.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29That was very nice.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32But again, you only get a passing glimpse. You're not there forever.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35You can't put the emergency brake in and just stop the train.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39See the state on certain people's back gardens.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I'm not kidding you, honestly.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43I thought my back garden was bad,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45but I've seen the state on some of them.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51The return of the railway has had a huge impact on the local economy.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55In Ebbw Vale, new hospitals and schools have been built
0:07:55 > 0:08:00and the hourly trains now carry 55,000 passengers a month,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03more than double expectations.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06When I was working in Cardiff,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08driving back and forwards cost £200 a month.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10So, from that aspect, it's a lot cheaper than what that is.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12To be fair, it's a lot less stressful,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15than driving to Cardiff. Yeah.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16There we go.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18We need a trolley dolly, someone serving food.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20THEY LAUGH
0:08:20 > 0:08:23They're just lovely, lovely, down-to-earth people
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and no problems when it comes to paying.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29They're just really nice, good, solid people.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35'Your next station stop will be Cardiff Central,
0:08:35 > 0:08:36'where this service will terminate.'
0:08:36 > 0:08:40There we go. See a lot of smiling faces coming off now.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51As well as taking care of 1.3 billion passengers every year,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54the railway has a responsibility to five million people
0:08:54 > 0:08:56who live next to its tracks.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02In the Midlands, trains pass over and through city life,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06across one of the biggest stretches of urban railway in the UK.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10You put a call in recently regarding a wall
0:09:10 > 0:09:13or an issue with loose unsafe bricks on a wall on the railway,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15to Network Rail.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Maintenance manager Alan Edge has a tough job
0:09:17 > 0:09:20keeping trackside neighbours happy.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Mr Cozier.- Yeah, thank you. Bless you.- Mr Shepherd.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Thank you very much.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I deal with fencing, fly-tipping,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29issues with trees overhanging people's gardens.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30Vandalism.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33I've had people ring up and they've wanted
0:09:33 > 0:09:36to spread their relatives' ashes on the railway line.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40You name it, we get them all. So it's never a dull day for me.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Have you got all the gloves, Ian, please?
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Have you got all the gear?
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Fly-tipping is a constant problem,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and today's task is to remove rubbish
0:09:51 > 0:09:53from this railway bridge in Handsworth.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58The people come from all over the place and dump their rubbish there.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02- All over the city, I think.- Yeah. - Well, we'll do the best we can, yeah?
0:10:02 > 0:10:03OK, then.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07OK. As you can see on the side of the wall,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10there's a lot of fly-tipping that's been chucked over the fence,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and our intention today is to remove that.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14But the most important thing is we do it safely, OK?
0:10:14 > 0:10:19So, if you see anything like a needle or anything like that, you stop the job immediately.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Say "needle", step away, OK?
0:10:21 > 0:10:22Pull.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23Yeah.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26This is the line from Soho to Perry Barr.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It's quite a heavily used route.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30I mean, if people can see that,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33they'd have a pretty dim view of Network Rail.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35What we've got to be mindful of in this area is,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38it's a known drug-use area, so we do find a lot of sort of,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40you know, drug paraphernalia, if you like.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42That is a wretched stench.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Alan and his team are responsible
0:10:47 > 0:10:50for 300 miles of land next to the track,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54and the theft of vital signalling cables is a major headache.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57They've stripped the wire out, and by taking the sheathing off
0:10:57 > 0:10:59it increases the cost of the copper.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02They rob it off the track, which is why we have track problems,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04and they've just lobbed it over the fence.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Look at that needle in it and all. There we go.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09That's the hazards that we face
0:11:09 > 0:11:11when we're out doing this sort of stuff.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Network Rail spends two and a half million pounds every year
0:11:15 > 0:11:19on clearing rubbish that's been dumped on the railways.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21It's not just about the track, it's the whole railway.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24We need to maintain all of that, and that's what we do.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27But it's like painting the Forth Road Bridge.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34"Test all tools are working prior to accessing the track."
0:11:36 > 0:11:37Done. Ha-ha-ha!
0:11:40 > 0:11:42The tracks near RAF Cosford
0:11:42 > 0:11:46are another problem area for Alan and his colleague Daz.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50- OK, look out!- Clear!- Thank you.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53We've got a sports field here, and there's quite a lot of signage,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57er...telling people to not let their dogs foul the area.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59They are going to the trouble of bagging it all up.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Unfortunately, they're discarding it on the railway,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06throwing it up the bank. Quite a good throwing arm.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Quite impressive, until you have to go and pick it up.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14You've got to love this job, man. I love my job.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15Ha-ha! What do you reckon, Daz?
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Our guys have got to work on the track,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and they're going to be working in and around this sort of stuff.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24That's not good. It's got to be sorted.
0:12:24 > 0:12:25Of course, the annoying thing is
0:12:25 > 0:12:27you'll never find out who's doing this.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29And I wouldn't mind betting
0:12:29 > 0:12:32that the dog walking community are a bit of a close-knit thing
0:12:32 > 0:12:33and they'll defend themselves.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36We'd rather be doing other things, keeping the trains moving.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38That's our main job.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40It's frustrating. It's a piddly job, isn't it?
0:12:43 > 0:12:45That smells nice, Darrell.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Ugh.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00Have your tickets and passes, please. Thank you very much.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- Did you bring mine?- Er...
0:13:03 > 0:13:06You've got to purchase your ticket before you get on the train, OK?
0:13:06 > 0:13:09You can't get on our network... you can't just jump on a train
0:13:09 > 0:13:11and purchase your ticket on the train, right?
0:13:11 > 0:13:13There's posters all on every station.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16As well as restricting alcohol on the network,
0:13:16 > 0:13:21Merseyrail apply a zero tolerance policy towards fare evasion.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Do I really look as if I need jump on the train?
0:13:23 > 0:13:26You don't put a ticket machine on that side of the..
0:13:26 > 0:13:29- Don't need to, sir, cos it's signposted.- It's not signposted.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- I'll take £1.50...- When was the last time you couldn't get on a train
0:13:32 > 0:13:34- and buy a ticket?- Nine years ago.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39This is crap.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Here, I'll tell you what. I'll pay the fine. I don't want to write in.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45OK. The full fine's £20, love.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- There's 20 quid. - OK. Do you want to sign there, love?
0:13:50 > 0:13:54- Not really.- OK, thank you. - A load of shite.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Last year they handed out 15,000 penalties and prosecutions
0:13:58 > 0:14:01to passengers travelling without tickets.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Everyone gets treated the same way, and fairly.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08There's no discrimination against anybody.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10It doesn't matter if you're wearing a tracksuit or a suit.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- You get treated the same way. - Everyone's the same, yeah.- Yeah.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17At Merseyside's Ellesmere Port station, some passengers
0:14:17 > 0:14:19are claiming that the station's ticket machine isn't working.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Your machines aren't working.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Why don't you go and get a proper lady to stand there
0:14:24 > 0:14:27and write tickets out instead of a fucking shitty machine?
0:14:27 > 0:14:28Do you want to stop your language?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- We're recording you.- You're calling us liars.- I'm not calling you liars.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34The lady knows I've got a procedure to follow
0:14:34 > 0:14:36and I'm following the procedure.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Are you fucking walking with me? Come on.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- Get your hands off me.- Leave the station, please. Leave the station.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Stay away from my bird! Get your fucking off hands off her now!
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Yous are saying it's working?- Yeah. - Yeah?- I've found out it's working.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52- That's what the appeal process is, my love.- Full of fucking crap!
0:14:52 > 0:14:54- There's your fucking money. - Listen, am I swearing?
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- Cos you're stressing me out, that's why.- You paying the full fare?
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- No, I'm paying the cheap fare. - The £1.50? OK. Sound.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03But if you just calm down we'll get it done quicker, won't we?
0:15:03 > 0:15:06The last 15 years, I've only ever had confrontational jobs.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Yeah? I've only ever worked in security firms.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13I've only ever done door work, door supervisor work.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17And I don't mind a bit of confrontation every now and then,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20because I feel like, I'm not the biggest fella in the world
0:15:20 > 0:15:22so my mouth generally has to be my biggest asset,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25do you know what I mean? Talk my way out of it,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27or bluff my way out of it. One of the two.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29It's not that I don't pay.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Yeah, no, and I'm not disputing that you don't, my love.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Unfortunately, though, I have to issue you a penalty fare notice.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38There's an appeal process. 'I've got a little four-year-old girl'
0:15:38 > 0:15:41at the moment, and I've got another one on the way.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44You had to walk past a ticket machine to get onto the station.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46I will penalty-fare people with kids. I don't enjoy it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50If they genuinely haven't got the money to pay, I can understand that,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54but if I don't do my job, I'll end up not having a job.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- Where are you travelling to? - Birkenhead.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Keira worked as a mental health nurse
0:15:59 > 0:16:01before she joined the railways.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Just sign there for me, sweetheart, please.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- So, this is going to cover you to Birkenhead Central.- OK.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10OK. No need to get upset. There you go. All right.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16Some people will put waterworks on to see if you've got a heart or not,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19and then other people are just genuinely upset.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23You have to weigh each situation up as it comes. Everyone's different.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25You get told every different story.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Basically, I was running late for the train so I had to peg it down...
0:16:28 > 0:16:31'My job is to be as sympathetic as I can
0:16:31 > 0:16:34'but also get the job done, make it look fair.'
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Cos some people just do lie, just to try and get off of it,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and that's not fair on the passengers that pay.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Address check, please?
0:16:41 > 0:16:44I've had a gentleman that his dad's died
0:16:44 > 0:16:47every day for nearly six months, so...
0:16:47 > 0:16:50and he cries, but he can't die every day, can he?
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Each year, more than 600 million passengers
0:16:57 > 0:16:59use London's 357 stations,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04and at the heart of the capital's network stands King's Cross,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08gateway to destinations across England and Scotland.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15All right, as quick as you like!
0:17:16 > 0:17:19HE BLOWS WHISTLE
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Late afternoon, and staff on the East Coast route
0:17:21 > 0:17:26to Leeds and Edinburgh are limbering up for another evening rush hour...
0:17:28 > 0:17:32..but 20 miles north, there's a problem.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38A drunk trespasser has jumped on to the tracks at Welwyn North station
0:17:38 > 0:17:42and is heading towards tunnels at the end of the platforms.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48We've got the person, they're just checking the tunnels at the moment.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51There's a problem with the tunnels. They're checking the tunnels.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55For King's Cross control room, it's the worst possible news.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57A trespasser's walking to the Welwyn tunnel.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Obviously, we don't want somebody hit so all lines
0:18:00 > 0:18:02are stopped at the moment until they say it's all clear.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04It's our peak-time trains that we're concerned about now.
0:18:04 > 0:18:10The 17:00, 17:03, 17:30 are all stuck north of the area.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12It's already 25 past 4, so we need
0:18:12 > 0:18:14those trains heading towards King's Cross very quickly.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- TANNOY:- ..to Leeds has been cancelled.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18We apologise for the inconvenience...
0:18:18 > 0:18:22As well as delaying trains arriving into London, trains can't leave,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25and the 16:30, which is now full and ready to depart,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27has just been cancelled.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30In relation to your question,
0:18:30 > 0:18:35it should be possible to catch another service with that ticket.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Once this train's left, we're going to inform all the train guards
0:18:38 > 0:18:41for all the other services, to let them know what's happened here.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Hopefully, they should allow all these other tickets to be voided.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I don't like... I don't like the word "hopefully".
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Neil, they've given us an all-clear on one of the tunnels,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51but the person's been reported.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52They may have entered another tunnel,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55so there's a DTEM down at the moment checking the area.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00There are 28 million incidents of railway trespass every year,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04resulting in 15 days' worth of train delays.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06When a train doesn't run, like we've just cancelled one,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10I have to seek permission for a train to stop additionally,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12so we can get people home a bit quicker.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17Anyway, they've agreed that I can add two stops extra on the 17:03,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and basically I have to write out a bit of paper
0:19:19 > 0:19:22that gives the driver permission to stop at these extra stops.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25At the moment, these trains I have here are subject to delays.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29- What if it's cancelled? - If it's cancelled,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32they'll allow you on one train before and one train after.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35You know, we have to recognise the fact that people come for a train
0:19:35 > 0:19:38and when it gets cancelled, it means that they're going to be
0:19:38 > 0:19:39half an hour late home.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42So, if we can make that any better for them, we will do.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44...86.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Yes, OK. All right, great, thank you.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49An hour later, news finally comes through
0:19:49 > 0:19:51that rail staff in Welwyn have located their man -
0:19:51 > 0:19:55sound asleep by the tracks in one of the tunnels.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58The stops are already on,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01so as soon as you're ready to board, let us know.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04That's an additional stop order. Can you make sure that the driver gets that, please?
0:20:04 > 0:20:08- All...all lines are open again on the main line, all right?- Thank you.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14After more than 2,500 minutes of delay to 168 train journeys,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17evening rush hour can begin.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19TANNOY: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Due to a earlier trespass incident in the Welwyn area,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27this service will call additionally at Grantham and Retford.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30HE BLOWS WHISTLE
0:20:41 > 0:20:44There are 6,500 level crossings on the rail network -
0:20:44 > 0:20:47barriers designed to keep cars and pedestrians
0:20:47 > 0:20:49safe from high-speed trains.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54In the last ten years they've been the scene of 200 vehicle collisions
0:20:54 > 0:20:56and more than 80 deaths.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59And in 2012,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Network Rail was fined £1 million for health and safety breaches
0:21:02 > 0:21:07after the death of two schoolgirls at a level crossing in Essex.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15As a result, they've embarked on a major drive to reduce the risks.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18The safest form of level crossing is a level crossing that's closed.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22If you're putting a person in front of a train, it's a risky business,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25so the safer we can make that by closing it or building a bridge,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27the better.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Where bridges can't be built, crossings are being modernised,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34and here at Mitcham in South London,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37new road barriers have been installed.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38VEHICLE SOUNDS HORN
0:21:38 > 0:21:41But one thing the technology can't change
0:21:41 > 0:21:42is the behaviour of the public.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45Here we go.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48And that one's just jumped straight through the lights.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52They could potentially be looking at a prosecution
0:21:52 > 0:21:54for careless and inconsiderate driving.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Chris Shepherd, of the British Transport Police,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01monitors the crossing from a surveillance van.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Someone's running across when the lights are flashing,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07so you've got people that obviously know they shouldn't be doing it,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10because they're running across purposefully.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13And there we go, the cyclist as well.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17You get people jumping the light, weaving round the barriers,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20you get people trying to scoot underneath the barriers.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23We've had people lifting pushchairs over.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Actually, that could have been a really nasty incident.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27If they'd mistimed that,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31it's quite easy that they could have potentially been hit by a train.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Next in line for modernisation
0:22:38 > 0:22:42is the causeway crossing in the Oxfordshire village of Steventon.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50At full speed, they're anything up to 125 miles an hour through here.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57You don't want to be in contact with any trains going that speed.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03- Hello, Dolly.- All right? - Yeah, very well, thank you.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07At the moment, Alan Wadley manages the crossing from his box,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10making sure it's clear of vehicles and people
0:23:10 > 0:23:13before he lowers the barriers so that trains can pass.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18But in two months' time, Alan and the crossing box
0:23:18 > 0:23:21will be replaced by CCTV.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Staff will monitor and operate the crossing
0:23:24 > 0:23:27from a control centre 30 miles away.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Network Rail argue this will reduce the risk of error
0:23:30 > 0:23:32and improve crossing safety.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Right, Ethan?
0:23:39 > 0:23:43But the Steventon villagers aren't convinced.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46I use it all the time with small children, who can sneak out there.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49It would be nice to know that there was somebody in the box
0:23:49 > 0:23:51kind of looking over us.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54I just want to make sure it continues to be safe...
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- Train.- Train, that's right!
0:23:56 > 0:24:00The signalman just gives us that...that comfort,
0:24:00 > 0:24:05that we don't think we'll be able to rely on somebody, you know,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09viewing a television screen from 30 miles up the road in Swindon.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10DOG BARKS
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I think she wants you to throw a stick.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14Goodbye.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18No, you're not going to make it. Ah, you're not going to make it!
0:24:27 > 0:24:30The signalman would have seen what she was doing,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32known exactly where the train was,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and if necessary could have stopped it.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38We're all set in our ways, and we like our village the way it is,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41and to have an organisation as big as Network Rail
0:24:41 > 0:24:44just come in and upheave everything,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46it's united the village in a...a common cause.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49There's nothing like having a common enemy.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02CHATTER
0:25:05 > 0:25:06BLOWS WHISTLE
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- Are you getting on or getting off? - Yeah, Phil! Come on, quick.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Right, inside now, lads.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13BLOWS WHISTLE
0:25:15 > 0:25:19It's the weekend in Wales, but there's no respite for the railways.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Exits to the right, please, guys.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Today the usual throng of commuters
0:25:26 > 0:25:28has been replaced by 65,000 rugby fans,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31heading to an international match in Cardiff.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Thank you very much.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36It's a bit hectic, as you can see. It's...it's a busy day.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Thank you very much.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42As well as regular staff, an army of volunteers have been drafted in,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45along with every train available.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49OK, folks. Er...welcome to the one o'clock brief.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Inward services, we've had 1,700 Newports,
0:25:53 > 0:25:591,200 Ebbw Vales, 1,400 Londons, 1,200 off the Midlands.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02To co-ordinate getting tens of thousands of fans
0:26:02 > 0:26:03across Wales and from England,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07train managers, station staff and the British Transport Police
0:26:07 > 0:26:11have set up a control centre for the day at Cardiff station.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- That's it, end of the match. - That's it, game over.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18First of all, radio, just to say the game has now finished
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and we're in full event operation. Thank you.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25- Anyone waiting? - Next, please.- Next, please.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27There you go. Thanks a lot.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29- Thank you very much.- Next, please.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- 27, Swansea. Hitchers team.- 600.
0:26:32 > 0:26:3416.32, Pompey four-car.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35400.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38So, we allocate 100 persons per car,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41so a Paddington service, we know is a high-speed train,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45takes 600 people so we can call 600 people from the queue
0:26:45 > 0:26:48so that we're not overloading the platform and making it unsafe.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51We've got 200 west Wales platform 4.
0:26:51 > 0:26:57Can you release the west Wales queue, 2-0-0 to platform 4? Over.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03Please confirm, West Wales 2-0-0, platform 4.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Swansea!
0:27:06 > 0:27:09...200 Bristol, platform 1, please.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Can you release the Bristol queue?
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- OVER TANNOY:- Go to platform 1.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Platform 1, please.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18We don't know the platform. We're right on the water!
0:27:18 > 0:27:21SHOUTING
0:27:21 > 0:27:25There's a bit more space down that end, right down the front.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Hello, signaller Cardiff. CMC at Cardiff Central.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31We're now ready to go on platform 2B from 1 Whiskey 29 for Manchester
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and we're also good to go, please, on platform 3
0:27:34 > 0:27:37with One Bravo Four Zero for Swansea as well, please.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40BLOWS WHISTLE
0:27:45 > 0:27:48MARCHING BAND PLAYS
0:27:52 > 0:27:53Southport, Merseyside.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58And for the last six hours thousands have been attending
0:27:58 > 0:28:00the town's annual Orange Lodge parade...
0:28:02 > 0:28:04..the biggest Protestant parade in England.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09Arrests for violence and criminal damage happen every year,
0:28:09 > 0:28:14and as the crowds head back to Liverpool from Southport station,
0:28:14 > 0:28:16they're proving to be a handful
0:28:16 > 0:28:19for rail staff and the British Transport Police.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22- Try not to rub it, though. - Don't rub your head.- Don't rub it.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24He slipped and missed his footing
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and he's fell headfirst onto the platform.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29WHISTLE BLOWS
0:28:29 > 0:28:30Oh, man! I want to go home!
0:28:30 > 0:28:34All the boys are waiting for me there, aren't yous?
0:28:34 > 0:28:36CHANTING: Hello! Hello!
0:28:36 > 0:28:38How many fingers?
0:28:38 > 0:28:39Er...22!
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Can you have your tickets and passes ready? Cheers, love.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47- Ticket and passes, please! - Thank you very much.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49To relieve pressure on the station,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Merseyrail's Revenue Protection team have set up shop at the entrance
0:28:52 > 0:28:55in order to check tickets, confiscate alcohol,
0:28:55 > 0:28:59and turn away excessively drunk passengers.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Four cans of beer in the baby's trolley.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06- I forgot they were there. Sorry. - It's all right. See you later. Ta-ra.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08MUSIC PLAYS
0:29:11 > 0:29:15Have you had a bit to drink today, my love? Have you had a bit to drink today, my love?
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Yeah. All right. No problem. What I'm going to do is,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19I'm not going to refuse you travel, all right?
0:29:19 > 0:29:21But go and grab yourselves a coffee
0:29:21 > 0:29:23and come back in a little while, all right?
0:29:23 > 0:29:27- What?- If he puts his shirt on, is he all right?- Put my top on, you mean? - No, no.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Go and sober up a little bit and come back in a bit.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Oh, behave will you? I don't need...I don't need lectures.
0:29:32 > 0:29:33I'm not here to lecture, my love.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36I'm merely asking you to come back and sober up a little bit.
0:29:36 > 0:29:3925-year-old Kat McGrowety drove prison vans
0:29:39 > 0:29:41before she joined Merseyrail.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44I'm going to have to ask you to go and get yourselves a strong coffee
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- and then come back in about half an hour.- I'm all right.- OK, no problem.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50- You are, but...- Yeah.- ...I can't allow him to travel...- Yeah.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52- ...in the state that he is, unfortunately.- All right.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57What I'm going to ask you to do, my love, is, I'm just going to go and ask you to sober up for a few...
0:29:57 > 0:29:59- You're having a laugh, aren't you? - No.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Oh, my God. I've come here to enjoy myself.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05And it looks like you have really enjoyed yourself today, but...
0:30:05 > 0:30:06I have, and I want to get home.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09So, I'm asking you to go and sober yourself up.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Tempers flaring.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14You know, they've had a bit to drink. It's not them, is it?
0:30:14 > 0:30:16It's just the situation. It's not personal.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19They're just having a go at you for the uniform. They want to get home, and...
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Let it all go over your head. Water off a duck's back.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25That's all you can do. Don't take it too personally.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28MUSIC PLAYING
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Go and have a sit outside there on the bench.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Go and get yourself a brew.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Go and get a coffee or something, please, come on.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46- You can understand my point of view, love. - SHOUTING
0:30:46 > 0:30:50- I want to get home.- I know. I know you think you're all right, honey.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52- That's your opinion, love.- Ah!
0:30:52 > 0:30:54I've got a duty of care for you, all right?
0:30:54 > 0:30:57Four times today I've stopped you.
0:30:57 > 0:30:58Tickets, please.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02- Have you had a bit to drink today? - I have.- Just a bit.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06- Honestly, just a bit.- Just a smidge. - Just a little bit.- All right, love.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09People want to talk to you when they're drunk, but they're not...
0:31:09 > 0:31:11They might be talking to you, but they're not listening to you.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15- I'm getting on the train. - Just a bit unsteady, just a bit.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19In a couple of hours when people are more intoxicated
0:31:19 > 0:31:20they're going to be more hard work.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23It's going to get worse before it gets better.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31In the Valleys, Arriva Trains Wales
0:31:31 > 0:31:34is looking to the next generation of train conductors to work the lines.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Lovely. Thank you very much. Thank you. Yeah, big time.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Excuse me.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Obviously, this is going to be your office.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45As part of their four-month training course,
0:31:45 > 0:31:51Lucas, Holly and Alex are at Canton Depot for some practical tuition.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59- The doors should be closing. - That's a great start.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01HOLLY LAUGHS
0:32:01 > 0:32:03A broken door.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06The Ebbw Valley line and stations might be new,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09but the trains are almost 30 years old.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Bear with me for two seconds.
0:32:27 > 0:32:28Ah!
0:32:28 > 0:32:33Fucking typical! None of this bastard thing is working.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36THEY CHEER AND CHUCKLE
0:32:36 > 0:32:38That's what I'm talking about.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41- So, do you want to have a go at the doors?- OK.- Excellent.
0:32:43 > 0:32:471,600 applicants applied for just nine places on the course.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51Six years ago, I came from Slovakia,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54I came for two weeks' holiday and decided to stay.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58- Try and squeeze on in.- 'I find Welsh people always welcoming.'
0:32:58 > 0:33:02So, I do feel like a big part of the family when I'm with Welsh people.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06Guards' heater. OK. It literally is slow, off or fast, OK?
0:33:06 > 0:33:09- Where's the air conditioning? - The air conditioning is...
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Is there air conditioning? I thought it was just
0:33:12 > 0:33:14boiling hot or freezing cold.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18- Just like that, OK? Air conditioning off.- Open the window.- Air conditioning on.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22You do kind of transfer from being a passenger
0:33:22 > 0:33:24to almost being a trainspotter.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28A bit like, "Oh, that's 142 units! Oh, that's 150!"
0:33:28 > 0:33:29and telling your friends and family
0:33:29 > 0:33:32all about the railway, what you learn.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35So, yeah, I would say becoming a railman pretty quickly.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Into its locking device.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Let go. Good.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41The new recruits learn emergency procedures,
0:33:41 > 0:33:46like how to manually operate points in the event of track failures.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50That's going to be hard. If you don't want to do it, I'll do it.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52- I can't.- Leave it, leave it, leave it.
0:33:52 > 0:33:57For 25-year-old Valley girl Holly Fly, it's a huge life change.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01I did an art degree. Took a gap year to have a baby.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05Went back, finished it. Started looking for jobs straight after.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09You know, I think a lot of people that I speak to who aren't employed,
0:34:09 > 0:34:15it's really hard at the minute so I feel really lucky and happy.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18Just given the release. Thank you very much. Bye.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21My mum thinks it's brilliant. She calls me Thomas the Tank.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23SHE LAUGHS
0:34:23 > 0:34:25MARCHING BAND PLAYING
0:34:29 > 0:34:32CROWD SHOUTING
0:34:34 > 0:34:36CROWD CHANTING
0:34:36 > 0:34:415pm in Southport, and the Orange Lodge parade is finally over.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43CROWD SHOUTING
0:34:43 > 0:34:46To prevent overcrowding on the platforms,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50the 2,000 stragglers wanting to get home are being held back
0:34:50 > 0:34:52and released in stages.
0:34:52 > 0:34:5595% of them don't even know what they're marching for.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57It's just a big piss-up, isn't it?
0:34:57 > 0:35:00RAISED VOICES
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Get ready. Here we go, here we go. I hope they've all got tickets.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06RAISED VOICES
0:35:08 > 0:35:10THEY SING
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Shut up, you!- Yeah? What have I done?
0:35:16 > 0:35:20- Look, shut up! Shut up, you! - Hey, hey, hey, hey!
0:35:20 > 0:35:22I've done nothing wrong.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26- You're arseholes! - Right, you're going with me now.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30- Ah, you're arseholes! - Watch, careful!- Shut up!
0:35:30 > 0:35:33- You need a ticket, darling. - I've got a fucking ticket!
0:35:33 > 0:35:35- Excuse me. - Yeah, don't you fuck with me.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37My son's a fucking sergeant at Liverpool.
0:35:37 > 0:35:42Well, you ain't travelling. You don't swear at me, pal. Ta-ra.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44CROWD SHOUTING
0:35:44 > 0:35:47All right, girls. Thanks very much. Move on.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51- I'm so sorry. - Do you want a tissue?- I'm so sorry.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53All right, love.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56Sorry.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Hand gel!
0:36:08 > 0:36:11I tell you what, Jeremy Kyle must have no audience today.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13I know. Yeah, they're all here!
0:36:15 > 0:36:17WHISTLE BLOWS
0:36:17 > 0:36:19I've only been in the job just over 12 months.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22I still come into work with a smile on my face.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Ask me in another 25 years what I feel about the job,
0:36:26 > 0:36:28but up to now, yeah, I do enjoy it.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42PHONE RINGS
0:36:42 > 0:36:44RINGING
0:36:44 > 0:36:46- 'Hello?'- Mr Gibbs?- 'Yes.'
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Hello, it's Alan Edge speaking, from Network Rail.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52You've put a call through to our national helpline
0:36:52 > 0:36:54regarding something you want us to help you out with
0:36:54 > 0:36:58- in the Gorsebrook area of Wolverhampton, is that correct? - 'That's right, yeah.'
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Alan Edge has been contacted by the son of a former railway worker,
0:37:02 > 0:37:04who wants to retrieve his father's ashes
0:37:04 > 0:37:07that were buried by the side of the tracks.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09'There should be a plaque on the wall and a circle of stones,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12'and they should be under the circle of stones.'
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Right, OK. When were they put there, do you know?
0:37:15 > 0:37:17'Well, 18 years ago now, probably.'
0:37:17 > 0:37:21- That's excellent. Thank you very much, Mr Gibbs.- 'Thank you. Bye.' - Thank you. Bye-bye.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25We have had requests before, but mainly to distribute ashes on the railway
0:37:25 > 0:37:29of former railwaymen who've passed away.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Erm...we've never had to sort of recover any before.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40I didn't know what to put in the job description.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45So, I've had to put down, "recovering railway artefacts" -
0:37:45 > 0:37:47probably not the right description
0:37:47 > 0:37:48but it's the best one I could think of.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53Although it's not something that's affecting the running of the trains,
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Mr Gibbs wants the ashes retrieved
0:37:55 > 0:37:59so that they can be buried next to his mother, who's critically ill.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01It's quite an important issue to Mr Gibbs,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04so it's quite crucial we try and sort of help him out if we can.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07We're supposed to be neighbourly,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10and this is the sort of neighbourly thing to do.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Right. Let's have a look at the picture.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17Oh.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Oh.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22They're there. Oh, dear.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25We can see from the picture.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29There's the...the plaque.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31The ashes should be in this area here.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35Unfortunately, there's a new troughing route been installed
0:38:35 > 0:38:39and hopefully they're deep enough so that they haven't been disturbed
0:38:39 > 0:38:41by the work that's been carried on here.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Right, let's get to it.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53It's a special tool we use quite a lot on the railway.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55It's called a piece of wood.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02I think I've found them. Something sounds hollow.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06- There.- Yeah.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15Oh, it's Roman vintage. Er...India tonic water.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Quinine, apparently. Good for you.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20I'm determined to find it. I just...
0:39:20 > 0:39:23I'm hoping it's still in one piece, to be perfectly honest with you.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35In Steventon, the switch from a level crossing box
0:39:35 > 0:39:37to CCTV is well under way.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39LOW CHATTER
0:39:39 > 0:39:42But villagers facing the inevitable are digging their heels in
0:39:42 > 0:39:45over the look of their new crossing,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48and they've invited a team from Network Rail
0:39:48 > 0:39:50to come and hear their grievances.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56The mechanism for this used to be behind
0:39:56 > 0:39:59and to the left of that warning sign.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03So, it's moved...that's probably about four or five feet over,
0:40:03 > 0:40:08- which has...has dramatically affected this view.- OK.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12You know, now you're looking at the grey mechanism. ALARM BLARING
0:40:12 > 0:40:13As you can see, we've got a floodlight
0:40:13 > 0:40:17more akin to an international football stadium,
0:40:17 > 0:40:18and totally out of place.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21A lot of the arguments have been arguments of aesthetics
0:40:21 > 0:40:23and those arguments would not exist
0:40:23 > 0:40:28if the measures that we'd taken weren't there for safety reasons.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31So, for example, we've got fencing that has to be there
0:40:31 > 0:40:34because it prevents reflective glare
0:40:34 > 0:40:36and it prevents shadows being cast on the CCTV area,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39but people don't like the appearance of that fencing.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42But if we didn't have that standard, then it wouldn't be safe.
0:40:42 > 0:40:43You could actually look at
0:40:43 > 0:40:46relocating the warning trespass sign so that's not on a pole.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49Oh, yeah, yeah. Absolutely, yeah. Absolutely, yeah.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52People don't like losing their crossing-keeper.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54People feel reassured by the presence of a man
0:40:54 > 0:40:56who's operating the level crossing for them.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59They think that it's safer, rightly or...
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Well, wrongly, as actually is the case,
0:41:01 > 0:41:03and therefore any changes we make
0:41:03 > 0:41:05are going to be met with that kind of criticism,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07just as they would be if...
0:41:07 > 0:41:11You know, if somebody tried to do something to the school or the pub.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18Not every resident has come to the meeting.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Dolly Rivers has lived in the village all her life,
0:41:22 > 0:41:24and her concerns about the level crossing
0:41:24 > 0:41:27have nothing to do with safety or aesthetics.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32It's nice to have somebody to say hello to when you go over.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36They're always there to, you know, have a word with you,
0:41:36 > 0:41:38make you feel a bit better.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42'It's never been without a man in the box,
0:41:42 > 0:41:46'from year to year from the old days up to now.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48'It won't be the same, will it?'
0:41:49 > 0:41:53I don't see why they should take them away from us.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Despite his best efforts,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Alan's been unable to locate Mr Gibbs' ashes.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Sorry, Stanley, we tried our best.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24PHONE RINGING
0:42:26 > 0:42:31- Mr Gibbs?- 'Hello.' - It's Alan Edge.- 'Oh, hello, Alan.'
0:42:31 > 0:42:35There has been quite a lot of work gone on on the railway in that area
0:42:35 > 0:42:37over the last few years, I suppose, erm...
0:42:37 > 0:42:40- 'Yeah.'- ..but unfortunately I've been unable to find anything.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43'Are the stones still there?'
0:42:43 > 0:42:45The stones weren't there at all, no.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49'OK, I appreciate everything you've tried anyway.'
0:42:49 > 0:42:52- OK, Mr Gibbs. Well, thank you very much.- 'You're welcome.'
0:42:52 > 0:42:56- Thank... 'Thanks for everything.' - No worries. Thank you very much.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58- 'Thank you. Bye.'- Bye-bye. Bye-bye.
0:42:58 > 0:42:59PHONE BEEPS
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Oh, I wish I'd have given him some better news.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06Ah, never mind. At least we tried. What more can we do?
0:43:10 > 0:43:13HORN BLARES
0:43:14 > 0:43:18Think exactly what you need to tell the customers.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22- Why don't you announce for customers to ensure to take with them...- OK.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25- all their personal luggage... - OK.- ..and belongings
0:43:25 > 0:43:27and mind the gap between the trains and the platform edge.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30- As you alight. - Yes, as you alight.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33- OVER TANNOY:- 'Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36'Our next station stop will be Cardiff Central.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38'Could all passengers please, um...
0:43:38 > 0:43:40ensure that they've got their... Oh!'
0:43:40 > 0:43:42- Oh, no!- Alex!
0:43:42 > 0:43:44That was fine to the halfway stage, then.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47'Please make sure you've got all your bags with you. Bye!'
0:43:47 > 0:43:49LAUGHTER
0:43:49 > 0:43:54- No.- Not very good that, Alex, at all. Not professional.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Good morning, this is your Arriva Trains Wales service,
0:43:57 > 0:44:01calling at Cathays, Queen Street and final destination Cardiff.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05Please take care as you... train, minding the gap between...
0:44:05 > 0:44:08SHE LAUGHS ..the train and the platform.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10Erm...
0:44:10 > 0:44:12That wasn't very good, was it?
0:44:12 > 0:44:14It's hard to know what you're going to say.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
0:44:18 > 0:44:19Welcome on board Arriva Trains service.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21The next station will be Cardiff Central.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25- OVER TANNOY:- 'Please change for any main line. Thank you.'
0:44:25 > 0:44:27THEY CHEER
0:44:27 > 0:44:28That was very good.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32To think you've done it for the very, very first time,
0:44:32 > 0:44:34you've done pretty well, really.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36But you need to put a bit more thought into what
0:44:36 > 0:44:39you're going to tell customers on board the train, don't you?
0:44:39 > 0:44:42- Try and avoid laughing and things like that.- Yeah.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46We'll all do mistakes, but if you start making an announcement
0:44:46 > 0:44:48and you feel you've done an error,
0:44:48 > 0:44:50stop, pause and think.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52Redo it again.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56In just a few more weeks,
0:44:56 > 0:45:00the new recruits will be working on the Valley railways for real.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03You'll be fine, but just do the job by the book.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05That's all we're asking of you.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07Just do the job by the book
0:45:07 > 0:45:09and you'll be fine, no problems at all.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12'This is what keeps me feeling young.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15'Working with young people has definitely made me feel really...'
0:45:15 > 0:45:18Oh, not getting old, if you know what I mean.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20I'm going to miss some, obviously,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23but, as a trainer, one lot goes,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26I'm looking forward then to the next lot, if you know what I mean.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28And that's what we need, future generations,
0:45:28 > 0:45:30to keep the railway infrastructure going
0:45:30 > 0:45:33within areas like the Valleys and south Wales.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44King's Cross station, London.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47- I'm booked on the 11 o'clock? So, it's going to be approximately 11? - Yeah.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50Everything's late coming in, so it's going to be late going out.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52That's why you've got all the delays.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54We haven't got a platform for it yet, cos it's not in the station,
0:45:54 > 0:45:57so we're waiting for it to come in to the station at the minute,
0:45:57 > 0:45:58it's just outside here.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02After a Bank Holiday weekend, hundreds of passengers
0:46:02 > 0:46:05are travelling back up to the northeast and Scotland...
0:46:05 > 0:46:09Any indication of how long that is going to be?
0:46:09 > 0:46:12..but dangerously high winds are playing havoc
0:46:12 > 0:46:14with the East Coast main line.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17We're waiting, as I said, for the 10.35. A half-hour out.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19Don't know what we're using yet.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23The problem we've got today is that a lot of our trains from up north are running severely late,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26which means that we've had to use trains from the depot
0:46:26 > 0:46:28that we wouldn't normally have used.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30So now we haven't got anything left in the depot,
0:46:30 > 0:46:33we are now having to wait for all these late trains to come in.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35Where's the nearest one? Potters Bar, FO7.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37'We've only got to lose one train'
0:46:37 > 0:46:40and then we play catch-up from then onwards all the time.
0:46:40 > 0:46:45At the top here, train One Yankee Zero Eight, which was due here 9:32,
0:46:45 > 0:46:47is running 101 minutes late.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50Red denotes anything over ten minutes,
0:46:50 > 0:46:54yellow between five minutes late and ten minutes late,
0:46:54 > 0:46:55and green means on time.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59So, I will definitely get there today, but with delay?
0:46:59 > 0:47:03At some point. I can't tell you what time, but at some point you will.
0:47:03 > 0:47:04- OK.- OK, I apologise.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07- What was you booked on?- The half twelve one, so I could get...- Right.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10Wait till near enough the time, but one comes in, just get on it anyway.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12- Excuse me...- Just say I told you.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15If I'm on the train that's cancelled, 11:05...
0:47:15 > 0:47:17- Yeah, get any one. Where are you going to?- To Doncaster.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21Right, get any one you can, right, once it comes up.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24I don't think it's worth cancelling that as yet.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27Hi. I just sent you an email. We've got advice for passengers.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Can you get Derek to announce it, please?
0:47:30 > 0:47:31Brilliant. Thank you. Bye-bye.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34With the regular timetable abandoned,
0:47:34 > 0:47:39it's the job of 28-year-old station manager Katie Frost
0:47:39 > 0:47:41to explain to passengers what's going on.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45- On the hour and half past.- The 9:30...- To Newcastle.- To Newcastle.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48- Yeah, calling where? - And... I don't know that yet.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51- Graham is writing the train plan now.- OK.- And the 35 to Leeds.- OK.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53Obviously, because we don't know the stopping patterns,
0:47:53 > 0:47:55we can't make that much detail,
0:47:55 > 0:47:57but can you make an announcement saying,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00"Please be advised, trains will be leaving King's Cross.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02"You will be able to travel."
0:48:02 > 0:48:04- Brilliant, thank you.- No worries.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Right, East Coast, with the 11.30...
0:48:06 > 0:48:10I'm going to break the blue vest out. Go on the concourse
0:48:10 > 0:48:12and see how much abuse I get from passengers.
0:48:12 > 0:48:16Hopefully, it won't be too bad. They all seem in reasonably high spirits.
0:48:16 > 0:48:21This is information for passengers travelling with East Coast train services this morning.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25TANNOY: 'Network Rail and East Coast would like to severely apologise
0:48:25 > 0:48:28'for the delays and disruption you are facing today...'
0:48:28 > 0:48:30It is from the heart when I say it.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32I don't... You know, I do mean I'm sorry.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35I've got to get home, I travel to Peterborough,
0:48:35 > 0:48:37so the apology applies to myself as well.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Unfortunately, I've just got to stay here and work through it.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42OK, what happens tomorrow?
0:48:42 > 0:48:45You can use your ticket tomorrow if you don't need to travel today.
0:48:45 > 0:48:46Will there be seats?
0:48:46 > 0:48:49- You'll get your seat tomorrow, yeah. OK?- OK. Thank you.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53I've come to find out a bit more about what's happening in Edinburgh.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57The weather in Scotland has gone from bad to worse.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Passengers travelling north of Newcastle
0:48:59 > 0:49:01are advised to travel tomorrow.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03- Tickets will be valid tomorrow. - Right.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07With high winds threatening to bring the roof off Edinburgh Station,
0:49:07 > 0:49:09it's forced to close.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11All train movements north of Newcastle have been stopped.
0:49:11 > 0:49:16- Have they given any estimate on this? - It's going to last all day.- Right.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18Anybody going to Edinburgh,
0:49:18 > 0:49:22the trains are only going as far as Newcastle this morning.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26If you don't need to travel, travel tomorrow. Your tickets are valid.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28So it's not going to run today.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32I would suggest your best bet is to go home, come tomorrow.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35I think you should give people a refund of money.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37I can take you to see the Grand Central representative.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40I think there's refund forms, if I take you over.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43- Do you want to get another ticket? - I'll take you over.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46Take one of these, right? You're not going to get a three-course meal
0:49:46 > 0:49:48but they'll give you something back.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51- You want to go to the Tower of London now?- Yeah.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53I want to go Tower of London, mate. Take me with you.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56We've run out of catering crew now. We've run out of drivers.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58They're all stuck up north at the moment
0:49:58 > 0:50:01so we've got serious problems today.
0:50:01 > 0:50:02- You've no idea how long?- No.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05We really are in not too good a state at the moment.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08- Definitely no chance of making it to Scotland?- No.
0:50:08 > 0:50:13- Could I make it to Durham?- No, you're only going as far as Newcastle.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16- So, you couldn't go the extra stop to Durham? - Just for you? Course we can.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19- TANNOY:- '..being suspended beyond Newcastle.'
0:50:34 > 0:50:36OK, love.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38Check your ticket, please.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43- Who do you support? - Rangers, but they're fucked. - Not doing well, are they?
0:50:43 > 0:50:46- Oh, you're kidding. - Any scars or tattoos?- Yeah.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50- You've got plen.. Bloody hell. - Stabbing wounds.- Where do we start?
0:50:50 > 0:50:53- Stabbing wounds a lot. - Stabbing wounds?- Bullet wounds.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56- Bullet wounds? Have you had a hard life?- Yeah.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00- What's this one here? This one. - Mum.- Mum. Mum, right hand.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04- Tracey on my willy. - Tracey on your willy.- Yes.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07- And if I hadn't stopped you today... - I walk past. - ...how would you have paid?
0:51:07 > 0:51:12- You'd have walked past?- Yeah. - At least you're honest, mate.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15At Birkenhead Central station on Merseyside
0:51:15 > 0:51:17it's a busy but cordial morning
0:51:17 > 0:51:20for Revenue Protection staff John and Aaron.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22What's happened?
0:51:23 > 0:51:24Who was it?
0:51:24 > 0:51:28As long as you're all right, mate, I'll give you a bell in a bit.
0:51:28 > 0:51:33- All right, mate, see you in a bit. Ta-ra, mate.- Is he OK?- Yeah.
0:51:33 > 0:51:34Just covered in spit.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37- What did the lad look like? - He said he'd never seen him before.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41- He's got off now though, so.. - Disgusting, isn't it?
0:51:41 > 0:51:44At a nearby station, a colleague's been spat at
0:51:44 > 0:51:47after stopping a traveller without a ticket.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50We all have a spit kit, unfortunately,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52DNA saliva recovery kit.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54A glove,
0:51:54 > 0:51:57your little swab,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59and your bag to put it in,
0:51:59 > 0:52:01and then pass it over to the police,
0:52:01 > 0:52:09and then they will, erm...do a test to see if they're on the database.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11You can catch all kinds off it,
0:52:11 > 0:52:13especially if it goes in your eyeball.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16- I'd definitely rather be punched than spat at.- Yeah.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20It's just the way it is. It's life, isn't it? Unfortunately.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25As well as spit kits, Revenue staff are fitted with body cameras.
0:52:25 > 0:52:30They come in handy if an assault takes place.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33This was an incident from last year at Liverpool South Parkway.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37One of our stations. A young couple travelling on child tickets.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39'You can't travel...'
0:52:39 > 0:52:43He's just not listening to anything I say to him.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45I mean, he gets quite irate, quite aggressive.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49He gets right up in my face. I've got nowhere to go, with the barriers behind me.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53He comes...comes for me, as it were, and my colleague gets in the way.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56But his girlfriend, who hadn't said a word up to that point,
0:52:56 > 0:53:00suddenly, er...turns out to be like a Muhammad Ali
0:53:00 > 0:53:02and connects with two right hooks to my jaw, so...
0:53:02 > 0:53:05so, bang. Bang.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08- 'Who the fuck do you think you are?' - 'Who the fuck are you pushing?'
0:53:08 > 0:53:12So, I mean, it's quite admirable Stand By Your Man kind of stuff,
0:53:12 > 0:53:14but they're both completely in the wrong.
0:53:14 > 0:53:18SHOUTING
0:53:18 > 0:53:21We issue, on a personal basis probably, you know,
0:53:21 > 0:53:25about 1,500 fines, individual fines a year I probably issue.
0:53:25 > 0:53:30If this happens maybe ten times then, you know, it's been a good year,
0:53:30 > 0:53:32I would say.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37- TANNOY:- 'We would like to thank you for your continued patience
0:53:37 > 0:53:40'and your continued understanding...'
0:53:40 > 0:53:42- Straight down to platform 2. - Thank you.- Platform 2.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45- TANNOY:- '..the situation we are facing today.'
0:53:45 > 0:53:49Please note, passengers travelling stations to Newcastle,
0:53:49 > 0:53:52the train boarding on platform 0, platform 0,
0:53:52 > 0:53:56is the 13:00 East Coast service for Newcastle.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02The delayed trains into King's Cross start to arrive.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04It's just come in literally only five minutes ago,
0:54:04 > 0:54:07so we've just been working hard to turn it around quickly,
0:54:07 > 0:54:10clean it, de-stock it and get it away.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12And despite Scotland being off-limits,
0:54:12 > 0:54:17the job of clearing the backlog of Bank Holiday passengers
0:54:17 > 0:54:19heading for the Northeast begins.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22As soon as we know, it will be announced on the main...
0:54:22 > 0:54:25- Is this going to Leeds, mate? - We're going to start sending them out soon.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29As soon as we've got drivers and guards for those trains, they'll be announced
0:54:29 > 0:54:32and the station will be cleared probably in about two trains.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36As soon as the train's announced, you'll be able to jump on it with that ticket.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Just get on any train to where you're going.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42- Any train to Newark? - Yeah, that's no problem.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49- Yes, you will be able to. - Is that all right?- Yeah, that's no problem.- Thank you.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52WHISTLE BLOWS
0:54:55 > 0:54:58Right, next plan.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01- Coffee, tea. What about it? - White, two sugars.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04Right, I'm cracking on. I'm going to Information.
0:55:11 > 0:55:151am, at Canton train depot in Cardiff.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22Arriva cleaners Andrew and Lynne
0:55:22 > 0:55:24are about to start on the first of 35 trains
0:55:24 > 0:55:29they'll need to finish before their shift ends at 7.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31You'll be surprised what you do find under the seats,
0:55:31 > 0:55:36and you think "My word, if that's how they treat their home, I dread to think",
0:55:36 > 0:55:39because this is for public use
0:55:39 > 0:55:42so they should have a bit more respect.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47You have your faeces on the toilet, on the floor.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51In here you can have people's dirty pants, where they've taken them off.
0:55:51 > 0:55:56Tampax, we've had on the floor. There's all sorts.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02This is a paper mask, OK?
0:56:02 > 0:56:05Obviously, we have to use this if there's any sick on the set.
0:56:05 > 0:56:09This is a paper suit that will go all over my clothes.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12Obviously, it's to stop all the sick going onto my clothes.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16And, obviously, this is my goggles for...
0:56:16 > 0:56:18to stop the sick splashing into my face.
0:56:20 > 0:56:21When you're thinking about it,
0:56:21 > 0:56:23I think about the children that could be sat on the trains
0:56:23 > 0:56:26and, you know, when people have got their nice clothes on
0:56:26 > 0:56:32so, you do the best job you can for the customers, you know.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34I've been doing this now for...
0:56:34 > 0:56:37I think it'll be my ninth year this year.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39I really do enjoy the job that I do,
0:56:39 > 0:56:43and that's what gets me through cleaning the sick
0:56:43 > 0:56:46and it gets me through the night, you know.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48When you see a train, and it comes in really bad,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51and then it's going out in the morning,
0:56:51 > 0:56:54and it looks very good, very clean,
0:56:54 > 0:56:56you've just got a bit of pride in yourself.
0:56:59 > 0:57:04Let's just go and see what's expected in the toilet.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19Thanks to the reintroduction of the Ebbw Vale line,
0:57:19 > 0:57:23the Welsh Valley railways are thriving once again,
0:57:23 > 0:57:25and for the last four weeks,
0:57:25 > 0:57:29Lucas Secal has been looking after thousands of passengers
0:57:29 > 0:57:30that use them every day.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35That's great. Thank you very much. There we go. Thank you very much.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38'I haven't had a day when I didn't enjoy myself, actually.'
0:57:38 > 0:57:40That's great. Thank you.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43'In the month I've been out on my own, every day is different.'
0:57:43 > 0:57:45- Thank you.- That's all right.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47BABY CRIES
0:57:47 > 0:57:49That's amazing.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52'If somebody had said to me this time last year, "You're going to work on the railway",
0:57:52 > 0:57:54I'd laugh, I would laugh with them,
0:57:54 > 0:57:57I'd go, "No way, that's not me at all."
0:57:57 > 0:57:58- Hello.- You all right?
0:58:01 > 0:58:03I can't think of anything else I would want to do.
0:58:03 > 0:58:06Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is your Cardiff Central service.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10We will shortly be arriving at Cardiff Central, where this train will terminate.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12TANNOY: 'Thank you.'
0:58:12 > 0:58:14I'm slowly becoming a Welsh person.
0:58:39 > 0:58:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd