Railway on My Doorstep The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track


Railway on My Doorstep

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LineFromTo

Britain's railway...

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OVER TANNOY: 'We are sorry to announce that the 18...'

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

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-Thank you. Thank you.

-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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SHOUTS ORDER

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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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-That one, fella?

-That one. There's a seat next to t'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! Right, right, right!

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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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Into battle.

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HORN BLARES

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This programme contains strong language.

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All the way down! Come on!

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Every inch counts!

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-And yous all look gorgeous!

-Thank you.

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They're phenomenal. I've seen some lovely Christian Louboutins today.

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I've been a bit jealous of them, to be honest.

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I love Christian Louboutins.

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Ladies' Day at Aintree Racecourse...

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Feel lucky today?

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..and the railways of Merseyside are awash with colour.

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I can't pronounce that top one.

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"Absolutely Fantastic"? That'll do me.

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Absolutely Fantastic.

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For this one day every year,

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Merseyrail's 59 electric trains take the strain of 50,000 race-goers.

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-TANNOY:

-Welcome to Aintree. Welcome to Aintree.

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Please have your tickets ready for inspection in order to leave the station.

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Have your tickets in your hand for a speedy exit.

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Speedy exit from the station guaranteed

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with your tickets in your hand.

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All of them guarded smoothly through

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by the voice of station announcer Chris Bowden-Smith.

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They think it's a mirror, and we have a lot of fun

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where they adjust their hair and adjust their lipstick

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whilst looking into the window, because they think it's a mirror.

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They are particularly nice.

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But I'm afraid it's rather lost on me because I'm gay.

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I'm looking at the men.

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And if there's a problem with the trains, I can slip in a mad word,

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like, "The trains are late due to choffspotification",

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and nobody will have any idea what it means, but it sounds convincing.

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I'm sorry. I'll have to take that from you. You can't drink.

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-TANNOY:

-We hope you have a great time today, but would like to remind you

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that no alcohol can be consumed on the Merseyrail Network.

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If we consider you to be unfit to travel later,

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we may refuse you access to our network for a return journey.

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Move all the way down, please!

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Right to the end of the platform, please!

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We don't allow drunks on the railway. It's a no-go situation.

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Come on, all the way down. Squidge, squidge, squidge.

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'A young girl died just a few months ago.

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'She fell between the train and the platform,'

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and that's not something we ever want to happen again to anybody.

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All right, calm down! Don't push! You'll get on!

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On days like this, you can feel the pressure.

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You've got a lot of people's safety in your care.

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They're your passengers.

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You've got to look after them and look out for them.

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-You're wonderful.

-Thank you.

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Guys, if you just speed it up a bit! Left or right for Liverpool!

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Go either way, left or right!

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Passengers must remain behind the yellow lines at all times

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until the train has come to a complete stand.

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'Please do not cross the yellow line until the train has stopped.'

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I end up, after all this time, feeling a little bit like a robot.

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As long as it sounds convincing, that's the important part.

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It's got to get across as sincere.

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I wouldn't want it to sound like I was being completely false.

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So, if you can fake sincerity, you've got it made.

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150 miles away in south Wales,

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Mobile Operations Manager Joel Morris is trackside near Bargoed.

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Seem to have made a mess in here, don't they?

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They've broken in and cut every bit of cable that's in here.

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Quite a lot of damage, as you can see.

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Joel's part of Network Rail's Incident Response Team

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in the Welsh Valleys. He's checking out damage by vandals

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to this newly installed telecommunications box.

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They must have forced their way in through the door first,

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and just ripped out everything that was of value.

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Copper is nearly £3,000 a ton.

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I should imagine that's the incentive.

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Even though there's lots of power going through these cables,

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they'll risk it for the outcome, for the money.

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The air-conditioning unit has been taken as well.

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Everything of value.

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It's 70, 80, £100,000, I should imagine,

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to redo this all out again.

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Decades of industrial decline

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have led to high levels of deprivation

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and crime in the Valleys,

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and with more than a million pounds lost

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to opportunist thieves and criminal gangs every year,

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the railway is one of the biggest victims.

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But trains are crucial to the region's revival.

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Does anybody want to mention the mighty Manchester United?

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No, no? You don't want to mention...?

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Do you want to mention the mighty Manchester?

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Yeah.

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Roll in again. Number 20 coming up.

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THEY SPEAK WELSH

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Five years ago, the Ebbw Valley didn't even have a railway.

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The line was cut in the 1960s.

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We're late. A minute late. Not good.

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But now the area has been thrown a lifeline -

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an hourly service that connects passengers

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from more than ten communities to jobs in Cardiff.

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-Return, yeah?

-Yeah.

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When we first came up here on the route, and were going through the stations,

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and they're like watching you,

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and they can't believe they've seen a train,

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cos it's been 40-odd years since they've had a train, you know?

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Lovely. Thanks very much.

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Train conductor David Williams has worked the line since it reopened.

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-Morning, fellas.

-Morning. All right? Aye.

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'A lot of these people know me on here.'

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-Lovely. Thank you both. Good morning!

-Morning.

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You could walk through that door and make or break someone's day.

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You can go through there with a foul mood,

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and they're in a bad mood then.

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-All right, lovely. Thanks a lot. Hello!

-Hello there.

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-All right, buddy?

-That was down the seats.

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Whereabouts was it?

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On the floor, in the seat quite close to the second door, yeah.

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Right. Better hand that in at Cardiff.

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Valley life, you see it all.

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There was a lovely lady down Romsey,

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who used to sunbathe topless out the back.

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That was very nice.

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But again, you only get a passing glimpse. You're not there forever.

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You can't put the emergency brake in and just stop the train.

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See the state on certain people's back gardens.

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I'm not kidding you, honestly.

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I thought my back garden was bad,

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but I've seen the state on some of them.

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The return of the railway has had a huge impact on the local economy.

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In Ebbw Vale, new hospitals and schools have been built

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and the hourly trains now carry 55,000 passengers a month,

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more than double expectations.

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When I was working in Cardiff,

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driving back and forwards cost £200 a month.

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So, from that aspect, it's a lot cheaper than what that is.

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To be fair, it's a lot less stressful,

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than driving to Cardiff. Yeah.

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There we go.

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We need a trolley dolly, someone serving food.

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THEY LAUGH

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They're just lovely, lovely, down-to-earth people

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and no problems when it comes to paying.

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They're just really nice, good, solid people.

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Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

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'Your next station stop will be Cardiff Central,

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'where this service will terminate.'

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There we go. See a lot of smiling faces coming off now.

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As well as taking care of 1.3 billion passengers every year,

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the railway has a responsibility to five million people

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who live next to its tracks.

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In the Midlands, trains pass over and through city life,

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across one of the biggest stretches of urban railway in the UK.

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You put a call in recently regarding a wall

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or an issue with loose unsafe bricks on a wall on the railway,

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to Network Rail.

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Maintenance manager Alan Edge has a tough job

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keeping trackside neighbours happy.

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-Mr Cozier.

-Yeah, thank you. Bless you.

-Mr Shepherd.

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Thank you very much.

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I deal with fencing, fly-tipping,

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issues with trees overhanging people's gardens.

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Vandalism.

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I've had people ring up and they've wanted

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to spread their relatives' ashes on the railway line.

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You name it, we get them all. So it's never a dull day for me.

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Have you got all the gloves, Ian, please?

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Have you got all the gear?

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Fly-tipping is a constant problem,

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and today's task is to remove rubbish

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from this railway bridge in Handsworth.

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The people come from all over the place and dump their rubbish there.

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-All over the city, I think.

-Yeah.

-Well, we'll do the best we can, yeah?

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OK, then.

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OK. As you can see on the side of the wall,

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there's a lot of fly-tipping that's been chucked over the fence,

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and our intention today is to remove that.

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But the most important thing is we do it safely, OK?

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So, if you see anything like a needle or anything like that, you stop the job immediately.

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Say "needle", step away, OK?

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Pull.

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Yeah.

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This is the line from Soho to Perry Barr.

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It's quite a heavily used route.

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I mean, if people can see that,

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they'd have a pretty dim view of Network Rail.

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What we've got to be mindful of in this area is,

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it's a known drug-use area, so we do find a lot of sort of,

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you know, drug paraphernalia, if you like.

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That is a wretched stench.

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Alan and his team are responsible

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for 300 miles of land next to the track,

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and the theft of vital signalling cables is a major headache.

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They've stripped the wire out, and by taking the sheathing off

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it increases the cost of the copper.

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They rob it off the track, which is why we have track problems,

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and they've just lobbed it over the fence.

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Look at that needle in it and all. There we go.

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That's the hazards that we face

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when we're out doing this sort of stuff.

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Network Rail spends two and a half million pounds every year

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on clearing rubbish that's been dumped on the railways.

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It's not just about the track, it's the whole railway.

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We need to maintain all of that, and that's what we do.

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But it's like painting the Forth Road Bridge.

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"Test all tools are working prior to accessing the track."

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Done. Ha-ha-ha!

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The tracks near RAF Cosford

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are another problem area for Alan and his colleague Daz.

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-OK, look out!

-Clear!

-Thank you.

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We've got a sports field here, and there's quite a lot of signage,

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er...telling people to not let their dogs foul the area.

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They are going to the trouble of bagging it all up.

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Unfortunately, they're discarding it on the railway,

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throwing it up the bank. Quite a good throwing arm.

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Quite impressive, until you have to go and pick it up.

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You've got to love this job, man. I love my job.

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Ha-ha! What do you reckon, Daz?

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Our guys have got to work on the track,

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and they're going to be working in and around this sort of stuff.

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That's not good. It's got to be sorted.

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Of course, the annoying thing is

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you'll never find out who's doing this.

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And I wouldn't mind betting

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that the dog walking community are a bit of a close-knit thing

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and they'll defend themselves.

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We'd rather be doing other things, keeping the trains moving.

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That's our main job.

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It's frustrating. It's a piddly job, isn't it?

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That smells nice, Darrell.

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Ugh.

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Have your tickets and passes, please. Thank you very much.

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-Did you bring mine?

-Er...

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You've got to purchase your ticket before you get on the train, OK?

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You can't get on our network... you can't just jump on a train

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and purchase your ticket on the train, right?

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There's posters all on every station.

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As well as restricting alcohol on the network,

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Merseyrail apply a zero tolerance policy towards fare evasion.

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Do I really look as if I need jump on the train?

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You don't put a ticket machine on that side of the..

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-Don't need to, sir, cos it's signposted.

-It's not signposted.

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-I'll take £1.50...

-When was the last time you couldn't get on a train

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-and buy a ticket?

-Nine years ago.

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This is crap.

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Here, I'll tell you what. I'll pay the fine. I don't want to write in.

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OK. The full fine's £20, love.

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-There's 20 quid.

-OK. Do you want to sign there, love?

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-Not really.

-OK, thank you.

-A load of shite.

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Last year they handed out 15,000 penalties and prosecutions

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to passengers travelling without tickets.

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Everyone gets treated the same way, and fairly.

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There's no discrimination against anybody.

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It doesn't matter if you're wearing a tracksuit or a suit.

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-You get treated the same way.

-Everyone's the same, yeah.

-Yeah.

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At Merseyside's Ellesmere Port station, some passengers

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are claiming that the station's ticket machine isn't working.

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Your machines aren't working.

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Why don't you go and get a proper lady to stand there

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and write tickets out instead of a fucking shitty machine?

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Do you want to stop your language?

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-We're recording you.

-You're calling us liars.

-I'm not calling you liars.

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The lady knows I've got a procedure to follow

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and I'm following the procedure.

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Are you fucking walking with me? Come on.

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-Get your hands off me.

-Leave the station, please. Leave the station.

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Stay away from my bird! Get your fucking off hands off her now!

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-Yous are saying it's working?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-I've found out it's working.

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-That's what the appeal process is, my love.

-Full of fucking crap!

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-There's your fucking money.

-Listen, am I swearing?

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-Cos you're stressing me out, that's why.

-You paying the full fare?

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-No, I'm paying the cheap fare.

-The £1.50? OK. Sound.

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But if you just calm down we'll get it done quicker, won't we?

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The last 15 years, I've only ever had confrontational jobs.

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Yeah? I've only ever worked in security firms.

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I've only ever done door work, door supervisor work.

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And I don't mind a bit of confrontation every now and then,

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because I feel like, I'm not the biggest fella in the world

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so my mouth generally has to be my biggest asset,

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do you know what I mean? Talk my way out of it,

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or bluff my way out of it. One of the two.

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It's not that I don't pay.

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Yeah, no, and I'm not disputing that you don't, my love.

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Unfortunately, though, I have to issue you a penalty fare notice.

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There's an appeal process. 'I've got a little four-year-old girl'

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at the moment, and I've got another one on the way.

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You had to walk past a ticket machine to get onto the station.

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I will penalty-fare people with kids. I don't enjoy it.

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If they genuinely haven't got the money to pay, I can understand that,

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but if I don't do my job, I'll end up not having a job.

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-Where are you travelling to?

-Birkenhead.

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Keira worked as a mental health nurse

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before she joined the railways.

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Just sign there for me, sweetheart, please.

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-So, this is going to cover you to Birkenhead Central.

-OK.

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OK. No need to get upset. There you go. All right.

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Some people will put waterworks on to see if you've got a heart or not,

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and then other people are just genuinely upset.

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You have to weigh each situation up as it comes. Everyone's different.

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You get told every different story.

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Basically, I was running late for the train so I had to peg it down...

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'My job is to be as sympathetic as I can

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'but also get the job done, make it look fair.'

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Cos some people just do lie, just to try and get off of it,

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and that's not fair on the passengers that pay.

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Address check, please?

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I've had a gentleman that his dad's died

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every day for nearly six months, so...

0:16:440:16:47

and he cries, but he can't die every day, can he?

0:16:470:16:50

Each year, more than 600 million passengers

0:16:540:16:57

use London's 357 stations,

0:16:570:16:59

and at the heart of the capital's network stands King's Cross,

0:16:590:17:04

gateway to destinations across England and Scotland.

0:17:040:17:08

All right, as quick as you like!

0:17:130:17:15

HE BLOWS WHISTLE

0:17:160:17:19

Late afternoon, and staff on the East Coast route

0:17:190:17:21

to Leeds and Edinburgh are limbering up for another evening rush hour...

0:17:210:17:26

..but 20 miles north, there's a problem.

0:17:280:17:32

A drunk trespasser has jumped on to the tracks at Welwyn North station

0:17:330:17:38

and is heading towards tunnels at the end of the platforms.

0:17:380:17:42

We've got the person, they're just checking the tunnels at the moment.

0:17:440:17:48

There's a problem with the tunnels. They're checking the tunnels.

0:17:480:17:51

For King's Cross control room, it's the worst possible news.

0:17:510:17:55

A trespasser's walking to the Welwyn tunnel.

0:17:550:17:57

Obviously, we don't want somebody hit so all lines

0:17:570:18:00

are stopped at the moment until they say it's all clear.

0:18:000:18:02

It's our peak-time trains that we're concerned about now.

0:18:020:18:04

The 17:00, 17:03, 17:30 are all stuck north of the area.

0:18:040:18:10

It's already 25 past 4, so we need

0:18:100:18:12

those trains heading towards King's Cross very quickly.

0:18:120:18:14

-TANNOY:

-..to Leeds has been cancelled.

0:18:140:18:16

We apologise for the inconvenience...

0:18:160:18:18

As well as delaying trains arriving into London, trains can't leave,

0:18:180:18:22

and the 16:30, which is now full and ready to depart,

0:18:220:18:25

has just been cancelled.

0:18:250:18:27

In relation to your question,

0:18:270:18:30

it should be possible to catch another service with that ticket.

0:18:300:18:35

Once this train's left, we're going to inform all the train guards

0:18:350:18:38

for all the other services, to let them know what's happened here.

0:18:380:18:41

Hopefully, they should allow all these other tickets to be voided.

0:18:410:18:43

I don't like... I don't like the word "hopefully".

0:18:430:18:46

Neil, they've given us an all-clear on one of the tunnels,

0:18:460:18:49

but the person's been reported.

0:18:490:18:51

They may have entered another tunnel,

0:18:510:18:52

so there's a DTEM down at the moment checking the area.

0:18:520:18:55

There are 28 million incidents of railway trespass every year,

0:18:550:19:00

resulting in 15 days' worth of train delays.

0:19:000:19:04

When a train doesn't run, like we've just cancelled one,

0:19:040:19:06

I have to seek permission for a train to stop additionally,

0:19:060:19:10

so we can get people home a bit quicker.

0:19:100:19:12

Anyway, they've agreed that I can add two stops extra on the 17:03,

0:19:120:19:17

and basically I have to write out a bit of paper

0:19:170:19:19

that gives the driver permission to stop at these extra stops.

0:19:190:19:22

At the moment, these trains I have here are subject to delays.

0:19:220:19:25

-What if it's cancelled?

-If it's cancelled,

0:19:250:19:29

they'll allow you on one train before and one train after.

0:19:290:19:32

You know, we have to recognise the fact that people come for a train

0:19:320:19:35

and when it gets cancelled, it means that they're going to be

0:19:350:19:38

half an hour late home.

0:19:380:19:39

So, if we can make that any better for them, we will do.

0:19:390:19:42

...86.

0:19:420:19:44

Yes, OK. All right, great, thank you.

0:19:440:19:47

An hour later, news finally comes through

0:19:470:19:49

that rail staff in Welwyn have located their man -

0:19:490:19:51

sound asleep by the tracks in one of the tunnels.

0:19:510:19:55

The stops are already on,

0:19:560:19:58

so as soon as you're ready to board, let us know.

0:19:580:20:01

That's an additional stop order. Can you make sure that the driver gets that, please?

0:20:010:20:04

-All...all lines are open again on the main line, all right?

-Thank you.

0:20:040:20:08

After more than 2,500 minutes of delay to 168 train journeys,

0:20:100:20:14

evening rush hour can begin.

0:20:140:20:17

TANNOY: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

0:20:170:20:19

Due to a earlier trespass incident in the Welwyn area,

0:20:190:20:23

this service will call additionally at Grantham and Retford.

0:20:230:20:27

HE BLOWS WHISTLE

0:20:270:20:30

There are 6,500 level crossings on the rail network -

0:20:410:20:44

barriers designed to keep cars and pedestrians

0:20:440:20:47

safe from high-speed trains.

0:20:470:20:49

In the last ten years they've been the scene of 200 vehicle collisions

0:20:500:20:54

and more than 80 deaths.

0:20:540:20:56

And in 2012,

0:20:580:20:59

Network Rail was fined £1 million for health and safety breaches

0:20:590:21:02

after the death of two schoolgirls at a level crossing in Essex.

0:21:020:21:07

As a result, they've embarked on a major drive to reduce the risks.

0:21:100:21:15

The safest form of level crossing is a level crossing that's closed.

0:21:150:21:18

If you're putting a person in front of a train, it's a risky business,

0:21:180:21:22

so the safer we can make that by closing it or building a bridge,

0:21:220:21:25

the better.

0:21:250:21:27

Where bridges can't be built, crossings are being modernised,

0:21:290:21:32

and here at Mitcham in South London,

0:21:320:21:34

new road barriers have been installed.

0:21:340:21:37

VEHICLE SOUNDS HORN

0:21:370:21:38

But one thing the technology can't change

0:21:380:21:41

is the behaviour of the public.

0:21:410:21:42

Here we go.

0:21:440:21:45

And that one's just jumped straight through the lights.

0:21:450:21:48

They could potentially be looking at a prosecution

0:21:500:21:52

for careless and inconsiderate driving.

0:21:520:21:54

Chris Shepherd, of the British Transport Police,

0:21:540:21:58

monitors the crossing from a surveillance van.

0:21:580:22:01

Someone's running across when the lights are flashing,

0:22:010:22:03

so you've got people that obviously know they shouldn't be doing it,

0:22:030:22:07

because they're running across purposefully.

0:22:070:22:10

And there we go, the cyclist as well.

0:22:100:22:13

You get people jumping the light, weaving round the barriers,

0:22:140:22:17

you get people trying to scoot underneath the barriers.

0:22:170:22:20

We've had people lifting pushchairs over.

0:22:200:22:23

Actually, that could have been a really nasty incident.

0:22:230:22:25

If they'd mistimed that,

0:22:250:22:27

it's quite easy that they could have potentially been hit by a train.

0:22:270:22:31

Next in line for modernisation

0:22:360:22:38

is the causeway crossing in the Oxfordshire village of Steventon.

0:22:380:22:42

At full speed, they're anything up to 125 miles an hour through here.

0:22:460:22:50

You don't want to be in contact with any trains going that speed.

0:22:540:22:57

-Hello, Dolly.

-All right?

-Yeah, very well, thank you.

0:22:590:23:03

At the moment, Alan Wadley manages the crossing from his box,

0:23:030:23:07

making sure it's clear of vehicles and people

0:23:070:23:10

before he lowers the barriers so that trains can pass.

0:23:100:23:13

But in two months' time, Alan and the crossing box

0:23:140:23:18

will be replaced by CCTV.

0:23:180:23:21

Staff will monitor and operate the crossing

0:23:210:23:24

from a control centre 30 miles away.

0:23:240:23:27

Network Rail argue this will reduce the risk of error

0:23:270:23:30

and improve crossing safety.

0:23:300:23:32

Right, Ethan?

0:23:370:23:39

But the Steventon villagers aren't convinced.

0:23:390:23:43

I use it all the time with small children, who can sneak out there.

0:23:430:23:46

It would be nice to know that there was somebody in the box

0:23:460:23:49

kind of looking over us.

0:23:490:23:51

I just want to make sure it continues to be safe...

0:23:510:23:54

-Train.

-Train, that's right!

0:23:540:23:56

The signalman just gives us that...that comfort,

0:23:560:24:00

that we don't think we'll be able to rely on somebody, you know,

0:24:000:24:05

viewing a television screen from 30 miles up the road in Swindon.

0:24:050:24:09

DOG BARKS

0:24:090:24:10

I think she wants you to throw a stick.

0:24:100:24:13

Goodbye.

0:24:130:24:14

No, you're not going to make it. Ah, you're not going to make it!

0:24:140:24:18

The signalman would have seen what she was doing,

0:24:270:24:30

known exactly where the train was,

0:24:300:24:32

and if necessary could have stopped it.

0:24:320:24:35

We're all set in our ways, and we like our village the way it is,

0:24:350:24:38

and to have an organisation as big as Network Rail

0:24:380:24:41

just come in and upheave everything,

0:24:410:24:44

it's united the village in a...a common cause.

0:24:440:24:46

There's nothing like having a common enemy.

0:24:460:24:49

CHATTER

0:24:590:25:02

BLOWS WHISTLE

0:25:050:25:06

-Are you getting on or getting off?

-Yeah, Phil! Come on, quick.

0:25:060:25:09

Right, inside now, lads.

0:25:090:25:11

BLOWS WHISTLE

0:25:110:25:13

It's the weekend in Wales, but there's no respite for the railways.

0:25:150:25:19

Exits to the right, please, guys.

0:25:200:25:23

Today the usual throng of commuters

0:25:230:25:26

has been replaced by 65,000 rugby fans,

0:25:260:25:28

heading to an international match in Cardiff.

0:25:280:25:31

Thank you very much.

0:25:310:25:33

It's a bit hectic, as you can see. It's...it's a busy day.

0:25:330:25:36

Thank you very much.

0:25:360:25:38

As well as regular staff, an army of volunteers have been drafted in,

0:25:380:25:42

along with every train available.

0:25:420:25:45

OK, folks. Er...welcome to the one o'clock brief.

0:25:450:25:49

Inward services, we've had 1,700 Newports,

0:25:490:25:53

1,200 Ebbw Vales, 1,400 Londons, 1,200 off the Midlands.

0:25:530:25:59

To co-ordinate getting tens of thousands of fans

0:25:590:26:02

across Wales and from England,

0:26:020:26:03

train managers, station staff and the British Transport Police

0:26:030:26:07

have set up a control centre for the day at Cardiff station.

0:26:070:26:11

-That's it, end of the match.

-That's it, game over.

0:26:110:26:14

First of all, radio, just to say the game has now finished

0:26:140:26:18

and we're in full event operation. Thank you.

0:26:180:26:21

-Anyone waiting?

-Next, please.

-Next, please.

0:26:230:26:25

There you go. Thanks a lot.

0:26:250:26:27

-Thank you very much.

-Next, please.

0:26:270:26:29

-27, Swansea. Hitchers team.

-600.

0:26:290:26:32

16.32, Pompey four-car.

0:26:320:26:34

400.

0:26:340:26:35

So, we allocate 100 persons per car,

0:26:350:26:38

so a Paddington service, we know is a high-speed train,

0:26:380:26:41

takes 600 people so we can call 600 people from the queue

0:26:410:26:45

so that we're not overloading the platform and making it unsafe.

0:26:450:26:48

We've got 200 west Wales platform 4.

0:26:480:26:51

Can you release the west Wales queue, 2-0-0 to platform 4? Over.

0:26:510:26:57

Please confirm, West Wales 2-0-0, platform 4.

0:26:580:27:03

Swansea!

0:27:030:27:06

...200 Bristol, platform 1, please.

0:27:060:27:09

Can you release the Bristol queue?

0:27:090:27:11

-OVER TANNOY:

-Go to platform 1.

0:27:110:27:14

Platform 1, please.

0:27:140:27:16

We don't know the platform. We're right on the water!

0:27:160:27:18

SHOUTING

0:27:180:27:21

There's a bit more space down that end, right down the front.

0:27:210:27:25

Hello, signaller Cardiff. CMC at Cardiff Central.

0:27:250:27:27

We're now ready to go on platform 2B from 1 Whiskey 29 for Manchester

0:27:270:27:31

and we're also good to go, please, on platform 3

0:27:310:27:34

with One Bravo Four Zero for Swansea as well, please.

0:27:340:27:37

BLOWS WHISTLE

0:27:370:27:40

MARCHING BAND PLAYS

0:27:450:27:48

Southport, Merseyside.

0:27:520:27:53

And for the last six hours thousands have been attending

0:27:540:27:58

the town's annual Orange Lodge parade...

0:27:580:28:00

..the biggest Protestant parade in England.

0:28:020:28:04

Arrests for violence and criminal damage happen every year,

0:28:040:28:09

and as the crowds head back to Liverpool from Southport station,

0:28:090:28:14

they're proving to be a handful

0:28:140:28:16

for rail staff and the British Transport Police.

0:28:160:28:19

-Try not to rub it, though.

-Don't rub your head.

-Don't rub it.

0:28:190:28:22

He slipped and missed his footing

0:28:220:28:24

and he's fell headfirst onto the platform.

0:28:240:28:27

WHISTLE BLOWS

0:28:270:28:29

Oh, man! I want to go home!

0:28:290:28:30

All the boys are waiting for me there, aren't yous?

0:28:300:28:34

CHANTING: Hello! Hello!

0:28:340:28:36

How many fingers?

0:28:360:28:38

Er...22!

0:28:380:28:39

Can you have your tickets and passes ready? Cheers, love.

0:28:410:28:44

-Ticket and passes, please!

-Thank you very much.

0:28:440:28:47

To relieve pressure on the station,

0:28:470:28:49

Merseyrail's Revenue Protection team have set up shop at the entrance

0:28:490:28:52

in order to check tickets, confiscate alcohol,

0:28:520:28:55

and turn away excessively drunk passengers.

0:28:550:28:59

Four cans of beer in the baby's trolley.

0:28:590:29:02

-I forgot they were there. Sorry.

-It's all right. See you later. Ta-ra.

0:29:020:29:06

MUSIC PLAYS

0:29:060:29:08

Have you had a bit to drink today, my love? Have you had a bit to drink today, my love?

0:29:110:29:15

Yeah. All right. No problem. What I'm going to do is,

0:29:150:29:17

I'm not going to refuse you travel, all right?

0:29:170:29:19

But go and grab yourselves a coffee

0:29:190:29:21

and come back in a little while, all right?

0:29:210:29:23

-What?

-If he puts his shirt on, is he all right?

-Put my top on, you mean?

-No, no.

0:29:230:29:27

Go and sober up a little bit and come back in a bit.

0:29:270:29:29

Oh, behave will you? I don't need...I don't need lectures.

0:29:290:29:32

I'm not here to lecture, my love.

0:29:320:29:33

I'm merely asking you to come back and sober up a little bit.

0:29:330:29:36

25-year-old Kat McGrowety drove prison vans

0:29:360:29:39

before she joined Merseyrail.

0:29:390:29:41

I'm going to have to ask you to go and get yourselves a strong coffee

0:29:410:29:44

-and then come back in about half an hour.

-I'm all right.

-OK, no problem.

0:29:440:29:47

-You are, but...

-Yeah.

-...I can't allow him to travel...

-Yeah.

0:29:470:29:50

-...in the state that he is, unfortunately.

-All right.

0:29:500:29:52

What 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...

0:29:520:29:57

-You're having a laugh, aren't you?

-No.

0:29:570:29:59

Oh, my God. I've come here to enjoy myself.

0:29:590:30:02

And it looks like you have really enjoyed yourself today, but...

0:30:020:30:05

I have, and I want to get home.

0:30:050:30:06

So, I'm asking you to go and sober yourself up.

0:30:060:30:09

Tempers flaring.

0:30:090:30:11

You know, they've had a bit to drink. It's not them, is it?

0:30:120:30:14

It's just the situation. It's not personal.

0:30:140:30:16

They're just having a go at you for the uniform. They want to get home, and...

0:30:160:30:19

Let it all go over your head. Water off a duck's back.

0:30:190:30:22

That's all you can do. Don't take it too personally.

0:30:220:30:25

MUSIC PLAYING

0:30:250:30:28

Go and have a sit outside there on the bench.

0:30:370:30:39

Go and get yourself a brew.

0:30:390:30:41

Go and get a coffee or something, please, come on.

0:30:410:30:43

-You can understand my point of view, love.

-SHOUTING

0:30:430:30:46

-I want to get home.

-I know. I know you think you're all right, honey.

0:30:460:30:50

-That's your opinion, love.

-Ah!

0:30:500:30:52

I've got a duty of care for you, all right?

0:30:520:30:54

Four times today I've stopped you.

0:30:540:30:57

Tickets, please.

0:30:570:30:58

-Have you had a bit to drink today?

-I have.

-Just a bit.

0:31:000:31:02

-Honestly, just a bit.

-Just a smidge.

-Just a little bit.

-All right, love.

0:31:020:31:06

People want to talk to you when they're drunk, but they're not...

0:31:060:31:09

They might be talking to you, but they're not listening to you.

0:31:090:31:11

-I'm getting on the train.

-Just a bit unsteady, just a bit.

0:31:110:31:15

In a couple of hours when people are more intoxicated

0:31:150:31:19

they're going to be more hard work.

0:31:190:31:20

It's going to get worse before it gets better.

0:31:200:31:23

In the Valleys, Arriva Trains Wales

0:31:290:31:31

is looking to the next generation of train conductors to work the lines.

0:31:310:31:34

Lovely. Thank you very much. Thank you. Yeah, big time.

0:31:340:31:38

Excuse me.

0:31:380:31:40

Obviously, this is going to be your office.

0:31:400:31:42

As part of their four-month training course,

0:31:420:31:45

Lucas, Holly and Alex are at Canton Depot for some practical tuition.

0:31:450:31:51

-The doors should be closing.

-That's a great start.

0:31:550:31:59

HOLLY LAUGHS

0:31:590:32:01

A broken door.

0:32:010:32:03

The Ebbw Valley line and stations might be new,

0:32:030:32:06

but the trains are almost 30 years old.

0:32:060:32:09

Bear with me for two seconds.

0:32:190:32:22

Ah!

0:32:270:32:28

Fucking typical! None of this bastard thing is working.

0:32:280:32:33

THEY CHEER AND CHUCKLE

0:32:340:32:36

That's what I'm talking about.

0:32:360:32:38

-So, do you want to have a go at the doors?

-OK.

-Excellent.

0:32:380:32:41

1,600 applicants applied for just nine places on the course.

0:32:430:32:47

Six years ago, I came from Slovakia,

0:32:470:32:51

I came for two weeks' holiday and decided to stay.

0:32:510:32:54

-Try and squeeze on in.

-'I find Welsh people always welcoming.'

0:32:540:32:58

So, I do feel like a big part of the family when I'm with Welsh people.

0:32:580:33:02

Guards' heater. OK. It literally is slow, off or fast, OK?

0:33:020:33:06

-Where's the air conditioning?

-The air conditioning is...

0:33:060:33:09

Is there air conditioning? I thought it was just

0:33:090:33:12

boiling hot or freezing cold.

0:33:120:33:14

-Just like that, OK? Air conditioning off.

-Open the window.

-Air conditioning on.

0:33:140:33:18

You do kind of transfer from being a passenger

0:33:180:33:22

to almost being a trainspotter.

0:33:220:33:24

A bit like, "Oh, that's 142 units! Oh, that's 150!"

0:33:240:33:28

and telling your friends and family

0:33:280:33:29

all about the railway, what you learn.

0:33:290:33:32

So, yeah, I would say becoming a railman pretty quickly.

0:33:320:33:35

Into its locking device.

0:33:350:33:37

Let go. Good.

0:33:370:33:39

The new recruits learn emergency procedures,

0:33:390:33:41

like how to manually operate points in the event of track failures.

0:33:410:33:46

That's going to be hard. If you don't want to do it, I'll do it.

0:33:470:33:50

-I can't.

-Leave it, leave it, leave it.

0:33:500:33:52

For 25-year-old Valley girl Holly Fly, it's a huge life change.

0:33:520:33:57

I did an art degree. Took a gap year to have a baby.

0:33:570:34:01

Went back, finished it. Started looking for jobs straight after.

0:34:010:34:05

You know, I think a lot of people that I speak to who aren't employed,

0:34:050:34:09

it's really hard at the minute so I feel really lucky and happy.

0:34:090:34:15

Just given the release. Thank you very much. Bye.

0:34:150:34:18

My mum thinks it's brilliant. She calls me Thomas the Tank.

0:34:180:34:21

SHE LAUGHS

0:34:210:34:23

MARCHING BAND PLAYING

0:34:230:34:25

CROWD SHOUTING

0:34:290:34:32

CROWD CHANTING

0:34:340:34:36

5pm in Southport, and the Orange Lodge parade is finally over.

0:34:360:34:41

CROWD SHOUTING

0:34:410:34:43

To prevent overcrowding on the platforms,

0:34:430:34:46

the 2,000 stragglers wanting to get home are being held back

0:34:460:34:50

and released in stages.

0:34:500:34:52

95% of them don't even know what they're marching for.

0:34:520:34:55

It's just a big piss-up, isn't it?

0:34:550:34:57

RAISED VOICES

0:34:570:35:00

Get ready. Here we go, here we go. I hope they've all got tickets.

0:35:000:35:04

RAISED VOICES

0:35:040:35:06

THEY SING

0:35:080:35:10

-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Shut up, you!

-Yeah? What have I done?

0:35:130:35:16

-Look, shut up! Shut up, you!

-Hey, hey, hey, hey!

0:35:160:35:20

I've done nothing wrong.

0:35:200:35:22

-You're arseholes!

-Right, you're going with me now.

0:35:220:35:26

-Ah, you're arseholes!

-Watch, careful!

-Shut up!

0:35:260:35:30

-You need a ticket, darling.

-I've got a fucking ticket!

0:35:300:35:33

-Excuse me.

-Yeah, don't you fuck with me.

0:35:330:35:35

My son's a fucking sergeant at Liverpool.

0:35:350:35:37

Well, you ain't travelling. You don't swear at me, pal. Ta-ra.

0:35:370:35:42

CROWD SHOUTING

0:35:420:35:44

All right, girls. Thanks very much. Move on.

0:35:440:35:47

-I'm so sorry.

-Do you want a tissue?

-I'm so sorry.

0:35:470:35:51

All right, love.

0:35:510:35:53

Sorry.

0:35:540:35:56

Hand gel!

0:35:590:36:01

I tell you what, Jeremy Kyle must have no audience today.

0:36:080:36:11

I know. Yeah, they're all here!

0:36:110:36:13

WHISTLE BLOWS

0:36:150:36:17

I've only been in the job just over 12 months.

0:36:170:36:19

I still come into work with a smile on my face.

0:36:190:36:22

Ask me in another 25 years what I feel about the job,

0:36:220:36:26

but up to now, yeah, I do enjoy it.

0:36:260:36:28

PHONE RINGS

0:36:390:36:42

RINGING

0:36:420:36:44

-'Hello?'

-Mr Gibbs?

-'Yes.'

0:36:440:36:46

Hello, it's Alan Edge speaking, from Network Rail.

0:36:460:36:49

You've put a call through to our national helpline

0:36:490:36:52

regarding something you want us to help you out with

0:36:520:36:54

-in the Gorsebrook area of Wolverhampton, is that correct?

-'That's right, yeah.'

0:36:540:36:58

Alan Edge has been contacted by the son of a former railway worker,

0:36:580:37:02

who wants to retrieve his father's ashes

0:37:020:37:04

that were buried by the side of the tracks.

0:37:040:37:07

'There should be a plaque on the wall and a circle of stones,

0:37:070:37:09

'and they should be under the circle of stones.'

0:37:090:37:12

Right, OK. When were they put there, do you know?

0:37:120:37:15

'Well, 18 years ago now, probably.'

0:37:150:37:17

-That's excellent. Thank you very much, Mr Gibbs.

-'Thank you. Bye.'

-Thank you. Bye-bye.

0:37:170:37:21

We have had requests before, but mainly to distribute ashes on the railway

0:37:210:37:25

of former railwaymen who've passed away.

0:37:250:37:29

Erm...we've never had to sort of recover any before.

0:37:290:37:31

I didn't know what to put in the job description.

0:37:380:37:40

So, I've had to put down, "recovering railway artefacts" -

0:37:400:37:45

probably not the right description

0:37:450:37:47

but it's the best one I could think of.

0:37:470:37:48

Although it's not something that's affecting the running of the trains,

0:37:490:37:53

Mr Gibbs wants the ashes retrieved

0:37:530:37:55

so that they can be buried next to his mother, who's critically ill.

0:37:550:37:59

It's quite an important issue to Mr Gibbs,

0:37:590:38:01

so it's quite crucial we try and sort of help him out if we can.

0:38:010:38:04

We're supposed to be neighbourly,

0:38:050:38:07

and this is the sort of neighbourly thing to do.

0:38:070:38:10

Right. Let's have a look at the picture.

0:38:120:38:15

Oh.

0:38:150:38:17

Oh.

0:38:170:38:19

They're there. Oh, dear.

0:38:190:38:22

We can see from the picture.

0:38:220:38:25

There's the...the plaque.

0:38:260:38:29

The ashes should be in this area here.

0:38:290:38:31

Unfortunately, there's a new troughing route been installed

0:38:310:38:35

and hopefully they're deep enough so that they haven't been disturbed

0:38:350:38:39

by the work that's been carried on here.

0:38:390:38:41

Right, let's get to it.

0:38:410:38:43

It's a special tool we use quite a lot on the railway.

0:38:500:38:53

It's called a piece of wood.

0:38:530:38:55

I think I've found them. Something sounds hollow.

0:38:590:39:02

-There.

-Yeah.

0:39:040:39:06

Oh, it's Roman vintage. Er...India tonic water.

0:39:110:39:15

Quinine, apparently. Good for you.

0:39:150:39:17

I'm determined to find it. I just...

0:39:180:39:20

I'm hoping it's still in one piece, to be perfectly honest with you.

0:39:200:39:23

In Steventon, the switch from a level crossing box

0:39:310:39:35

to CCTV is well under way.

0:39:350:39:37

LOW CHATTER

0:39:370:39:39

But villagers facing the inevitable are digging their heels in

0:39:390:39:42

over the look of their new crossing,

0:39:420:39:45

and they've invited a team from Network Rail

0:39:450:39:48

to come and hear their grievances.

0:39:480:39:50

The mechanism for this used to be behind

0:39:520:39:56

and to the left of that warning sign.

0:39:560:39:59

So, it's moved...that's probably about four or five feet over,

0:39:590:40:03

-which has...has dramatically affected this view.

-OK.

0:40:030:40:08

You know, now you're looking at the grey mechanism. ALARM BLARING

0:40:080:40:12

As you can see, we've got a floodlight

0:40:120:40:13

more akin to an international football stadium,

0:40:130:40:17

and totally out of place.

0:40:170:40:18

A lot of the arguments have been arguments of aesthetics

0:40:180:40:21

and those arguments would not exist

0:40:210:40:23

if the measures that we'd taken weren't there for safety reasons.

0:40:230:40:28

So, for example, we've got fencing that has to be there

0:40:280:40:31

because it prevents reflective glare

0:40:310:40:34

and it prevents shadows being cast on the CCTV area,

0:40:340:40:36

but people don't like the appearance of that fencing.

0:40:360:40:39

But if we didn't have that standard, then it wouldn't be safe.

0:40:390:40:42

You could actually look at

0:40:420:40:43

relocating the warning trespass sign so that's not on a pole.

0:40:430:40:46

Oh, yeah, yeah. Absolutely, yeah. Absolutely, yeah.

0:40:460:40:49

People don't like losing their crossing-keeper.

0:40:490:40:52

People feel reassured by the presence of a man

0:40:520:40:54

who's operating the level crossing for them.

0:40:540:40:56

They think that it's safer, rightly or...

0:40:560:40:59

Well, wrongly, as actually is the case,

0:40:590:41:01

and therefore any changes we make

0:41:010:41:03

are going to be met with that kind of criticism,

0:41:030:41:05

just as they would be if...

0:41:050:41:07

You know, if somebody tried to do something to the school or the pub.

0:41:070:41:11

Not every resident has come to the meeting.

0:41:140:41:18

Dolly Rivers has lived in the village all her life,

0:41:190:41:22

and her concerns about the level crossing

0:41:220:41:24

have nothing to do with safety or aesthetics.

0:41:240:41:27

It's nice to have somebody to say hello to when you go over.

0:41:290:41:32

They're always there to, you know, have a word with you,

0:41:320:41:36

make you feel a bit better.

0:41:360:41:38

'It's never been without a man in the box,

0:41:390:41:42

'from year to year from the old days up to now.

0:41:420:41:46

'It won't be the same, will it?'

0:41:460:41:48

I don't see why they should take them away from us.

0:41:490:41:53

Despite his best efforts,

0:42:110:42:13

Alan's been unable to locate Mr Gibbs' ashes.

0:42:130:42:16

Sorry, Stanley, we tried our best.

0:42:200:42:22

PHONE RINGING

0:42:220:42:24

-Mr Gibbs?

-'Hello.'

-It's Alan Edge.

-'Oh, hello, Alan.'

0:42:260:42:31

There has been quite a lot of work gone on on the railway in that area

0:42:310:42:35

over the last few years, I suppose, erm...

0:42:350:42:37

-'Yeah.'

-..but unfortunately I've been unable to find anything.

0:42:370:42:40

'Are the stones still there?'

0:42:400:42:43

The stones weren't there at all, no.

0:42:430:42:45

'OK, I appreciate everything you've tried anyway.'

0:42:470:42:49

-OK, Mr Gibbs. Well, thank you very much.

-'You're welcome.'

0:42:490:42:52

-Thank... 'Thanks for everything.'

-No worries. Thank you very much.

0:42:520:42:56

-'Thank you. Bye.'

-Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

0:42:560:42:58

PHONE BEEPS

0:42:580:42:59

Oh, I wish I'd have given him some better news.

0:42:590:43:02

Ah, never mind. At least we tried. What more can we do?

0:43:020:43:06

HORN BLARES

0:43:100:43:13

Think exactly what you need to tell the customers.

0:43:140:43:18

-Why don't you announce for customers to ensure to take with them...

-OK.

0:43:180:43:22

-all their personal luggage...

-OK.

-..and belongings

0:43:220:43:25

and mind the gap between the trains and the platform edge.

0:43:250:43:27

-As you alight.

-Yes, as you alight.

0:43:270:43:30

-OVER TANNOY:

-'Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

0:43:300:43:33

'Our next station stop will be Cardiff Central.

0:43:330:43:36

'Could all passengers please, um...

0:43:360:43:38

ensure that they've got their... Oh!'

0:43:380:43:40

-Oh, no!

-Alex!

0:43:400:43:42

That was fine to the halfway stage, then.

0:43:420:43:44

'Please make sure you've got all your bags with you. Bye!'

0:43:440:43:47

LAUGHTER

0:43:470:43:49

-No.

-Not very good that, Alex, at all. Not professional.

0:43:490:43:54

Good morning, this is your Arriva Trains Wales service,

0:43:540:43:57

calling at Cathays, Queen Street and final destination Cardiff.

0:43:570:44:01

Please take care as you... train, minding the gap between...

0:44:010:44:05

SHE LAUGHS ..the train and the platform.

0:44:050:44:08

Erm...

0:44:080:44:10

That wasn't very good, was it?

0:44:100:44:12

It's hard to know what you're going to say.

0:44:120:44:14

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

0:44:160:44:18

Welcome on board Arriva Trains service.

0:44:180:44:19

The next station will be Cardiff Central.

0:44:190:44:21

-OVER TANNOY:

-'Please change for any main line. Thank you.'

0:44:210:44:25

THEY CHEER

0:44:250:44:27

That was very good.

0:44:270:44:28

To think you've done it for the very, very first time,

0:44:280:44:32

you've done pretty well, really.

0:44:320:44:34

But you need to put a bit more thought into what

0:44:340:44:36

you're going to tell customers on board the train, don't you?

0:44:360:44:39

-Try and avoid laughing and things like that.

-Yeah.

0:44:390:44:42

We'll all do mistakes, but if you start making an announcement

0:44:420:44:46

and you feel you've done an error,

0:44:460:44:48

stop, pause and think.

0:44:480:44:50

Redo it again.

0:44:500:44:52

In just a few more weeks,

0:44:540:44:56

the new recruits will be working on the Valley railways for real.

0:44:560:45:00

You'll be fine, but just do the job by the book.

0:45:000:45:03

That's all we're asking of you.

0:45:030:45:05

Just do the job by the book

0:45:050:45:07

and you'll be fine, no problems at all.

0:45:070:45:09

'This is what keeps me feeling young.

0:45:090:45:12

'Working with young people has definitely made me feel really...'

0:45:120:45:15

Oh, not getting old, if you know what I mean.

0:45:150:45:18

I'm going to miss some, obviously,

0:45:180:45:20

but, as a trainer, one lot goes,

0:45:200:45:23

I'm looking forward then to the next lot, if you know what I mean.

0:45:230:45:26

And that's what we need, future generations,

0:45:260:45:28

to keep the railway infrastructure going

0:45:280:45:30

within areas like the Valleys and south Wales.

0:45:300:45:33

King's Cross station, London.

0:45:420:45:44

-I'm booked on the 11 o'clock? So, it's going to be approximately 11?

-Yeah.

0:45:440:45:47

Everything's late coming in, so it's going to be late going out.

0:45:470:45:50

That's why you've got all the delays.

0:45:500:45:52

We haven't got a platform for it yet, cos it's not in the station,

0:45:520:45:54

so we're waiting for it to come in to the station at the minute,

0:45:540:45:57

it's just outside here.

0:45:570:45:58

After a Bank Holiday weekend, hundreds of passengers

0:45:580:46:02

are travelling back up to the northeast and Scotland...

0:46:020:46:05

Any indication of how long that is going to be?

0:46:050:46:09

..but dangerously high winds are playing havoc

0:46:090:46:12

with the East Coast main line.

0:46:120:46:14

We're waiting, as I said, for the 10.35. A half-hour out.

0:46:140:46:17

Don't know what we're using yet.

0:46:170:46:19

The problem we've got today is that a lot of our trains from up north are running severely late,

0:46:190:46:23

which means that we've had to use trains from the depot

0:46:230:46:26

that we wouldn't normally have used.

0:46:260:46:28

So now we haven't got anything left in the depot,

0:46:280:46:30

we are now having to wait for all these late trains to come in.

0:46:300:46:33

Where's the nearest one? Potters Bar, FO7.

0:46:330:46:35

'We've only got to lose one train'

0:46:350:46:37

and then we play catch-up from then onwards all the time.

0:46:370:46:40

At the top here, train One Yankee Zero Eight, which was due here 9:32,

0:46:400:46:45

is running 101 minutes late.

0:46:450:46:47

Red denotes anything over ten minutes,

0:46:470:46:50

yellow between five minutes late and ten minutes late,

0:46:500:46:54

and green means on time.

0:46:540:46:55

So, I will definitely get there today, but with delay?

0:46:550:46:59

At some point. I can't tell you what time, but at some point you will.

0:46:590:47:03

-OK.

-OK, I apologise.

0:47:030:47:04

-What was you booked on?

-The half twelve one, so I could get...

-Right.

0:47:040:47:07

Wait till near enough the time, but one comes in, just get on it anyway.

0:47:070:47:10

-Excuse me...

-Just say I told you.

0:47:100:47:12

If I'm on the train that's cancelled, 11:05...

0:47:120:47:15

-Yeah, get any one. Where are you going to?

-To Doncaster.

0:47:150:47:17

Right, get any one you can, right, once it comes up.

0:47:170:47:21

I don't think it's worth cancelling that as yet.

0:47:210:47:24

Hi. I just sent you an email. We've got advice for passengers.

0:47:240:47:27

Can you get Derek to announce it, please?

0:47:270:47:30

Brilliant. Thank you. Bye-bye.

0:47:300:47:31

With the regular timetable abandoned,

0:47:310:47:34

it's the job of 28-year-old station manager Katie Frost

0:47:340:47:39

to explain to passengers what's going on.

0:47:390:47:41

-On the hour and half past.

-The 9:30...

-To Newcastle.

-To Newcastle.

0:47:410:47:45

-Yeah, calling where?

-And... I don't know that yet.

0:47:450:47:48

-Graham is writing the train plan now.

-OK.

-And the 35 to Leeds.

-OK.

0:47:480:47:51

Obviously, because we don't know the stopping patterns,

0:47:510:47:53

we can't make that much detail,

0:47:530:47:55

but can you make an announcement saying,

0:47:550:47:57

"Please be advised, trains will be leaving King's Cross.

0:47:570:48:00

"You will be able to travel."

0:48:000:48:02

-Brilliant, thank you.

-No worries.

0:48:020:48:04

Right, East Coast, with the 11.30...

0:48:040:48:06

I'm going to break the blue vest out. Go on the concourse

0:48:060:48:10

and see how much abuse I get from passengers.

0:48:100:48:12

Hopefully, it won't be too bad. They all seem in reasonably high spirits.

0:48:120:48:16

This is information for passengers travelling with East Coast train services this morning.

0:48:160:48:21

TANNOY: 'Network Rail and East Coast would like to severely apologise

0:48:210:48:25

'for the delays and disruption you are facing today...'

0:48:250:48:28

It is from the heart when I say it.

0:48:280:48:30

I don't... You know, I do mean I'm sorry.

0:48:300:48:32

I've got to get home, I travel to Peterborough,

0:48:320:48:35

so the apology applies to myself as well.

0:48:350:48:37

Unfortunately, I've just got to stay here and work through it.

0:48:370:48:40

OK, what happens tomorrow?

0:48:400:48:42

You can use your ticket tomorrow if you don't need to travel today.

0:48:420:48:45

Will there be seats?

0:48:450:48:46

-You'll get your seat tomorrow, yeah. OK?

-OK. Thank you.

0:48:460:48:49

I've come to find out a bit more about what's happening in Edinburgh.

0:48:490:48:53

The weather in Scotland has gone from bad to worse.

0:48:530:48:57

Passengers travelling north of Newcastle

0:48:570:48:59

are advised to travel tomorrow.

0:48:590:49:01

-Tickets will be valid tomorrow.

-Right.

0:49:010:49:03

With high winds threatening to bring the roof off Edinburgh Station,

0:49:030:49:07

it's forced to close.

0:49:070:49:09

All train movements north of Newcastle have been stopped.

0:49:090:49:11

-Have they given any estimate on this?

-It's going to last all day.

-Right.

0:49:110:49:16

Anybody going to Edinburgh,

0:49:160:49:18

the trains are only going as far as Newcastle this morning.

0:49:180:49:22

If you don't need to travel, travel tomorrow. Your tickets are valid.

0:49:220:49:26

So it's not going to run today.

0:49:260:49:28

I would suggest your best bet is to go home, come tomorrow.

0:49:280:49:32

I think you should give people a refund of money.

0:49:320:49:35

I can take you to see the Grand Central representative.

0:49:350:49:37

I think there's refund forms, if I take you over.

0:49:370:49:40

-Do you want to get another ticket?

-I'll take you over.

0:49:400:49:43

Take one of these, right? You're not going to get a three-course meal

0:49:430:49:46

but they'll give you something back.

0:49:460:49:48

-You want to go to the Tower of London now?

-Yeah.

0:49:480:49:51

I want to go Tower of London, mate. Take me with you.

0:49:510:49:53

We've run out of catering crew now. We've run out of drivers.

0:49:530:49:56

They're all stuck up north at the moment

0:49:560:49:58

so we've got serious problems today.

0:49:580:50:01

-You've no idea how long?

-No.

0:50:010:50:02

We really are in not too good a state at the moment.

0:50:020:50:05

-Definitely no chance of making it to Scotland?

-No.

0:50:050:50:08

-Could I make it to Durham?

-No, you're only going as far as Newcastle.

0:50:080:50:13

-So, you couldn't go the extra stop to Durham?

-Just for you? Course we can.

0:50:130:50:16

-TANNOY:

-'..being suspended beyond Newcastle.'

0:50:160:50:19

OK, love.

0:50:340:50:36

Check your ticket, please.

0:50:360:50:38

-Who do you support?

-Rangers, but they're fucked.

-Not doing well, are they?

0:50:390:50:43

-Oh, you're kidding.

-Any scars or tattoos?

-Yeah.

0:50:430:50:46

-You've got plen.. Bloody hell.

-Stabbing wounds.

-Where do we start?

0:50:460:50:50

-Stabbing wounds a lot.

-Stabbing wounds?

-Bullet wounds.

0:50:500:50:53

-Bullet wounds? Have you had a hard life?

-Yeah.

0:50:530:50:56

-What's this one here? This one.

-Mum.

-Mum. Mum, right hand.

0:50:560:51:00

-Tracey on my willy.

-Tracey on your willy.

-Yes.

0:51:000:51:04

-And if I hadn't stopped you today...

-I walk past.

-...how would you have paid?

0:51:040:51:07

-You'd have walked past?

-Yeah.

-At least you're honest, mate.

0:51:070:51:12

At Birkenhead Central station on Merseyside

0:51:120:51:15

it's a busy but cordial morning

0:51:150:51:17

for Revenue Protection staff John and Aaron.

0:51:170:51:20

What's happened?

0:51:200:51:22

Who was it?

0:51:230:51:24

As long as you're all right, mate, I'll give you a bell in a bit.

0:51:240:51:28

-All right, mate, see you in a bit. Ta-ra, mate.

-Is he OK?

-Yeah.

0:51:280:51:33

Just covered in spit.

0:51:330:51:34

-What did the lad look like?

-He said he'd never seen him before.

0:51:340:51:37

-He's got off now though, so..

-Disgusting, isn't it?

0:51:370:51:41

At a nearby station, a colleague's been spat at

0:51:410:51:44

after stopping a traveller without a ticket.

0:51:440:51:47

We all have a spit kit, unfortunately,

0:51:470:51:50

DNA saliva recovery kit.

0:51:500:51:52

A glove,

0:51:520:51:54

your little swab,

0:51:540:51:57

and your bag to put it in,

0:51:570:51:59

and then pass it over to the police,

0:51:590:52:01

and then they will, erm...do a test to see if they're on the database.

0:52:010:52:09

You can catch all kinds off it,

0:52:090:52:11

especially if it goes in your eyeball.

0:52:110:52:13

-I'd definitely rather be punched than spat at.

-Yeah.

0:52:130:52:16

It's just the way it is. It's life, isn't it? Unfortunately.

0:52:160:52:20

As well as spit kits, Revenue staff are fitted with body cameras.

0:52:220:52:25

They come in handy if an assault takes place.

0:52:250:52:30

This was an incident from last year at Liverpool South Parkway.

0:52:300:52:33

One of our stations. A young couple travelling on child tickets.

0:52:330:52:37

'You can't travel...'

0:52:370:52:39

He's just not listening to anything I say to him.

0:52:390:52:43

I mean, he gets quite irate, quite aggressive.

0:52:430:52:45

He gets right up in my face. I've got nowhere to go, with the barriers behind me.

0:52:450:52:49

He comes...comes for me, as it were, and my colleague gets in the way.

0:52:490:52:53

But his girlfriend, who hadn't said a word up to that point,

0:52:530:52:56

suddenly, er...turns out to be like a Muhammad Ali

0:52:560:53:00

and connects with two right hooks to my jaw, so...

0:53:000:53:02

so, bang. Bang.

0:53:020:53:05

-'Who the fuck do you think you are?'

-'Who the fuck are you pushing?'

0:53:050:53:08

So, I mean, it's quite admirable Stand By Your Man kind of stuff,

0:53:080:53:12

but they're both completely in the wrong.

0:53:120:53:14

SHOUTING

0:53:140:53:18

We issue, on a personal basis probably, you know,

0:53:180:53:21

about 1,500 fines, individual fines a year I probably issue.

0:53:210:53:25

If this happens maybe ten times then, you know, it's been a good year,

0:53:250:53:30

I would say.

0:53:300:53:32

-TANNOY:

-'We would like to thank you for your continued patience

0:53:330:53:37

'and your continued understanding...'

0:53:370:53:40

-Straight down to platform 2.

-Thank you.

-Platform 2.

0:53:400:53:42

-TANNOY:

-'..the situation we are facing today.'

0:53:420:53:45

Please note, passengers travelling stations to Newcastle,

0:53:450:53:49

the train boarding on platform 0, platform 0,

0:53:490:53:52

is the 13:00 East Coast service for Newcastle.

0:53:520:53:56

The delayed trains into King's Cross start to arrive.

0:53:580:54:02

It's just come in literally only five minutes ago,

0:54:020:54:04

so we've just been working hard to turn it around quickly,

0:54:040:54:07

clean it, de-stock it and get it away.

0:54:070:54:10

And despite Scotland being off-limits,

0:54:100:54:12

the job of clearing the backlog of Bank Holiday passengers

0:54:120:54:17

heading for the Northeast begins.

0:54:170:54:19

As soon as we know, it will be announced on the main...

0:54:190:54:22

-Is this going to Leeds, mate?

-We're going to start sending them out soon.

0:54:220:54:25

As soon as we've got drivers and guards for those trains, they'll be announced

0:54:250:54:29

and the station will be cleared probably in about two trains.

0:54:290:54:32

As soon as the train's announced, you'll be able to jump on it with that ticket.

0:54:320:54:36

Just get on any train to where you're going.

0:54:380:54:40

-Any train to Newark?

-Yeah, that's no problem.

0:54:400:54:42

-Yes, you will be able to.

-Is that all right?

-Yeah, that's no problem.

-Thank you.

0:54:450:54:49

WHISTLE BLOWS

0:54:490:54:52

Right, next plan.

0:54:550:54:58

-Coffee, tea. What about it?

-White, two sugars.

0:54:580:55:01

Right, I'm cracking on. I'm going to Information.

0:55:010:55:04

1am, at Canton train depot in Cardiff.

0:55:110:55:15

Arriva cleaners Andrew and Lynne

0:55:180:55:22

are about to start on the first of 35 trains

0:55:220:55:24

they'll need to finish before their shift ends at 7.

0:55:240:55:29

You'll be surprised what you do find under the seats,

0:55:290:55:31

and you think "My word, if that's how they treat their home, I dread to think",

0:55:310:55:36

because this is for public use

0:55:360:55:39

so they should have a bit more respect.

0:55:390:55:42

You have your faeces on the toilet, on the floor.

0:55:420:55:47

In here you can have people's dirty pants, where they've taken them off.

0:55:470:55:51

Tampax, we've had on the floor. There's all sorts.

0:55:510:55:56

This is a paper mask, OK?

0:55:590:56:02

Obviously, we have to use this if there's any sick on the set.

0:56:020:56:05

This is a paper suit that will go all over my clothes.

0:56:050:56:09

Obviously, it's to stop all the sick going onto my clothes.

0:56:090:56:12

And, obviously, this is my goggles for...

0:56:120:56:16

to stop the sick splashing into my face.

0:56:160:56:18

When you're thinking about it,

0:56:200:56:21

I think about the children that could be sat on the trains

0:56:210:56:23

and, you know, when people have got their nice clothes on

0:56:230:56:26

so, you do the best job you can for the customers, you know.

0:56:260:56:32

I've been doing this now for...

0:56:320:56:34

I think it'll be my ninth year this year.

0:56:340:56:37

I really do enjoy the job that I do,

0:56:370:56:39

and that's what gets me through cleaning the sick

0:56:390:56:43

and it gets me through the night, you know.

0:56:430:56:46

When you see a train, and it comes in really bad,

0:56:460:56:48

and then it's going out in the morning,

0:56:480:56:51

and it looks very good, very clean,

0:56:510:56:54

you've just got a bit of pride in yourself.

0:56:540:56:56

Let's just go and see what's expected in the toilet.

0:56:590:57:04

Thanks to the reintroduction of the Ebbw Vale line,

0:57:150:57:19

the Welsh Valley railways are thriving once again,

0:57:190:57:23

and for the last four weeks,

0:57:230:57:25

Lucas Secal has been looking after thousands of passengers

0:57:250:57:29

that use them every day.

0:57:290:57:30

That's great. Thank you very much. There we go. Thank you very much.

0:57:320:57:35

'I haven't had a day when I didn't enjoy myself, actually.'

0:57:350:57:38

That's great. Thank you.

0:57:380:57:40

'In the month I've been out on my own, every day is different.'

0:57:400:57:43

-Thank you.

-That's all right.

0:57:430:57:45

BABY CRIES

0:57:450:57:47

That's amazing.

0:57:470:57:49

'If somebody had said to me this time last year, "You're going to work on the railway",

0:57:490:57:52

I'd laugh, I would laugh with them,

0:57:520:57:54

I'd go, "No way, that's not me at all."

0:57:540:57:57

-Hello.

-You all right?

0:57:570:57:58

I can't think of anything else I would want to do.

0:58:010:58:03

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is your Cardiff Central service.

0:58:030:58:06

We will shortly be arriving at Cardiff Central, where this train will terminate.

0:58:060:58:10

TANNOY: 'Thank you.'

0:58:100:58:12

I'm slowly becoming a Welsh person.

0:58:120:58:14

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:58:390:58:42

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