0:00:02 > 0:00:04Good morning, it's me again.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10Below London's streets exists another world.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14The madness is my swimming pool. I'm at home in that kind of water. What can I say?
0:00:16 > 0:00:21Every day, 20,000 workers struggle to keep four million people on the move.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26What, there's a customer asleep on the platform? Get him on the train.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31And it's not easy when the Tube is undergoing the biggest upgrade in its history.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34We've got five minutes! I want this site cleared!
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Now cameras will reveal an underground world we've never fully seen before.
0:00:39 > 0:00:4210,421 mobiles since April.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47Listen to what I'm saying. Pay as you go. Yeah? You just went!
0:00:47 > 0:00:51This guy running up the stairs. We need to stop him.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54HORN BLARES
0:00:54 > 0:00:57We're the underground part of the city.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01London comes down here every single day. It is part of their world.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02It is part of everyone's world.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I love you.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10This programme contains some strong language
0:01:21 > 0:01:26During the week, Liverpool Street Tube station is a busy commuter hub.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30But on Friday nights, it takes on a very different personality.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Seven-five to base.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36We've got someone urinating on the end of platform five. Over.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40- Did you see him actually do it? Over.- Yeah.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42He's urinated all over. Over.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47TANNOY: Customers on the escalator, please use the escalator safely and correctly.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Mind the doors means mind the doors! Do not jam the doors!
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Excuse me, mate. Are you OK?
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- TANNOY:- This is a customer announcement for customers on westbound platform two.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13I do apologise for the last train being cancelled at short notice.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17This was due to...er, significant vomit in the carriages.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Your next westbound service will be in one minute, calling all stations to Hammersmith.
0:02:21 > 0:02:27Control assistant Mark Davies is the all-seeing eyes of the station.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30I watch customers to make sure they don't injure themselves,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33beat each other up, burn the place down.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36You've got to keep an eye on 'em.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38This is customer information.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Customers, you're reminded that drinking alcohol from an open container
0:02:41 > 0:02:46is forbidden on all London Underground stations and trains.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50This particular announcement is for the gentleman with the leather jacket,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52brown leather jacket on the westbound Central Line
0:02:52 > 0:02:54with a can of Grolsch.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Generally speaking, they're all right about it, you know?
0:03:02 > 0:03:05# Happy birthday to you
0:03:05 > 0:03:11# Happy birthday to... # Anybody else? # ..you... #
0:03:16 > 0:03:20- Excuse me. Excuse me! - Are you after him?- Yes.
0:03:22 > 0:03:28Hey, mate. Excuse me, mate. You've got to take the Oyster card with you.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30MAN SLURS Yeah, you've got to come back.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Go over the far side. Over here, mate.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Just tap your card on there.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41It's a bit concerning, really, that these people
0:03:41 > 0:03:43hold our lives in their hands.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45They're the financial people of this world.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48But it's not just the money men. It's the doctors and the lawyers.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51And you just have to be a bit of a babysitter.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55- "Top up pay as you go." How much do you want to put on?- A fiver is fine.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Put your PIN number in now, yeah?
0:03:57 > 0:03:59You've got men in suits that are powerful,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03and they are like children and you have to treat them like children.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Hold on tight. Walk this way.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08We turn into Mummy and Daddy sometimes.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Oh, look. She's fallen over on the escalator.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14But she is all smiles, so she hasn't hurt herself.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18There's no reason to condemn them because they've had a drink.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23In fact, that's the point. You have a drink and you use public transport rather than drive.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27We don't want to see them get all smashed up, beat each other up, hurt theirselves.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30They can delay the service by having a fight, as well.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32And that upsets a lot of people.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37ALARM BLARES
0:04:37 > 0:04:39NOC, station emergency?
0:04:39 > 0:04:44The network operations centre is the control room for the whole of the Tube,
0:04:44 > 0:04:49monitoring the 500 individually numbered trains that move around the network at any one time
0:04:49 > 0:04:54and coordinating with staff across 274 stations.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Hello, it's the NOC. Apparently, the ambulance has just arrived outside.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03Duty manager Andy Hogg and his team are poised to deal with
0:05:03 > 0:05:06any incident that could cause a delay to the service.
0:05:08 > 0:05:1125-year-old female, drunk, collapsed and hit her head.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Male, 30, fell down escalator.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Female, 20, ankle injury, fallen down the stairs, drink related.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Arm injury following running into the side of a train.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Female, 20, intoxicated. Welcome to Friday night on the Underground.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Hello. What hospital was this casualty taken to?
0:05:29 > 0:05:34All requests for emergency services come through here. That way it's co-ordinated,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38and I then can assess, is it just going to affect that station,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40or will it have a bigger effect?
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Right, the police are there at the moment, are they?
0:05:43 > 0:05:48Which direction is it, please? Northbound King's Cross, OK, thanks very much.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51There's a fight on a train King's Cross Northern Line.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Where would we be without our Friday night punch-up?
0:05:54 > 0:05:58The train's been there eight minutes with a train behind in the tunnel.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02The train's on the move, but we could have had trains down tunnels for a long time.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06You don't know how bad something's going to get until it goes there.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09No, you'll be met on arrival and taken to casualty.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12How would you characterise the work on Friday nights?
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Together with the station staff and the train staff, um...
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Picking up the pieces.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Excuse me. Excuse me.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Where are you travelling home to?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34East London? West London?
0:06:38 > 0:06:42What, there's a customer asleep on the platform? Go and get him, Steve.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43Get him on the train.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Liverpool Street.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50There we go. "Where am I?" I do like the control room, to be honest.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52I quite like computer games, that sort of thing.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58All the staff, I move them about and put them where they need to be.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00The customers are like the horde,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and you've to sort of juggle the staff about to do all the jobs.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06It can be quite fun in here if you enjoy that sort of thing.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Contractor announcement. Member of initial cleaning services,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15please attend the B way in for code 3.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18Nice(!)
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Must have been a good night.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Rather than say "can you go and clear up the sick?",
0:07:26 > 0:07:29or "can you go and pick up some poo and wash some wee?",
0:07:29 > 0:07:31we use code numbers.
0:07:31 > 0:07:37So it's 1 for blood, 2 for urine and faeces, 3 for vomit,
0:07:37 > 0:07:434 for spillage, 5 for broken glass and 6 for litter.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44And...
0:07:44 > 0:07:48If it's anything that's not on that list, then we use a code 7,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52although I don't know what other horrors you might have.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55They're all quite nasty, aren't they?
0:08:00 > 0:08:05When people get drunk enough, vomit after vomit. Vomit after vomit.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Nobody apologises, never ever.
0:08:09 > 0:08:16I never had any case where somebody apologised for that. Never.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21They can vomit in the middle of the concourse, they just don't care.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26They vomit sometimes on the walls, on the doors. On the windows.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29And, you know, I think people just become animals.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36I used to be a cyclist, a professional cyclist for many years.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39I used to be...
0:08:39 > 0:08:46My best result was second in Soviet Union in 25 kilometres distance.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51So I didn't get any profession. That's why I came here.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56I had never been in the United Kingdom. I had in my...
0:08:56 > 0:09:01I imagine it, United Kingdom, it felt like paradise country,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05like everybody so polite and nice and clean country.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I was surprised. I was shocked.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13Because they don't feel ashamed just in front of everybody, throw bottle or rubbish.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14I would be ashamed to do it.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Right, can everyone hear me OK? Welcome to Harrow on the Hill.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35We're working between Northwick Park and North Harrow on the Met Line.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Friday nights also mean the beginning of engineering works.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Site rules, you've got steel toecap boots, gloves and hard hat.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Six years ago, London Underground decided that the only way
0:09:47 > 0:09:52to revitalise its run-down infrastructure, neglected after years of underinvestment,
0:09:52 > 0:09:58was to deliberately shut down large sections of the network every weekend and send in the engineers.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03More trolleys out, start running them up.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07One of the most pressing jobs is replacing over 140 kilometres
0:10:07 > 0:10:11of railway track, which is worn and in need of renewal.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17At Harrow on the Hill, on the north end of the Metropolitan Line,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21an ambitious weekend of track replacement is about to begin.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23I've taken over from the station supervisor,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26so now the whole station is under our control.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29We're going to be renewing this track here.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33This whole track through the platform will be renewed, new concrete sleepers and rail.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38We've got about 150 men working tonight.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Then during the weekend, on each shift there will be about 100 men a shift.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Move them two, will you?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Them next two that way, and the middle two over.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52In order to replace the track, the whole of this section of railway
0:10:52 > 0:10:56must first be completely disconnected.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59An army of signal engineers are carefully removing
0:10:59 > 0:11:05the hundreds of trackside cables which control power, signals and radio systems.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09We've got plenty of men on track now moving rails into position
0:11:09 > 0:11:12ready for installation tomorrow night.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Can you give us a shout once you get the first machine on, please, mate?
0:11:23 > 0:11:24From the time they arrive on site,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28the engineers have just 52 hours to replace the track.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31With the railway in pieces, any setback will cause
0:11:31 > 0:11:34severe disruptions to the service on Monday morning.
0:11:36 > 0:11:4168 and 69 to Wembley Park have been cleared of the track,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and it is safe for trains to run, yes?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46At engineering headquarters in central London,
0:11:46 > 0:11:52a team are closely monitoring progress to make sure everything runs to schedule.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54From the time we start, we're thinking about,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56"Are we going to be OK to hand back?"
0:11:56 > 0:11:59And if we're not going to be OK to hand back,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01what do we need to do to make sure that we are?
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Everyone from those out on the ground that are digging the holes
0:12:05 > 0:12:09to those in here who are managing it from a distance.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14There are times when, due to circumstances beyond someone's control,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16we haven't been able to hand back.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22There's a hell of a lot of people that travel from the Metropolitan railway area into London,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25and obviously there will be a lot of people missing
0:12:25 > 0:12:28from their office desks and whatever else on Monday morning.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37There is a lot of pressure on the site managers
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and the site person in charge, plus also the men on the ground,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43to make sure we get the job handed back on time.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Fingers crossed!
0:12:47 > 0:12:50We'll hand it back Monday morning.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58The next train is the last train.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03Next train is the last train, last train, last train, yeah? Last train.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Last train, mate.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I don't know what happens, but they seem to always forget
0:13:11 > 0:13:14that we do finish somewhere around midnight,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16trains start drying up and eventually come to an end.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Every Friday, they seem to forget that.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23LAST TRAIN! LAST TRAIN!
0:13:35 > 0:13:40- Excuse me! It's finished now. - Oh, right, cheers.- You're welcome.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Er... How do I get to Waterloo?
0:13:53 > 0:13:59Ten miles south of central London, Morden station is at the very end of the Northern Line.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Journeys end for many customers,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04whether they planned it that way or not.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07TANNOY: This station is Morden. This train terminates here.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Wakey, wakey, rise and shine! It's the end of the Northern Line.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Need you to change now, mate. It's all finished.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Hello, my love?
0:14:22 > 0:14:23Hello?
0:14:23 > 0:14:27It's the real deep sleepers, when you have to literally lift them off,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30escort them up the stairs all the time,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32and you've got to be quite assertive with them,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34otherwise they stay on the train for ever.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39Mate! Come on! Open your eyes, mate, come on.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40- Wha...?- Don't "wha" me.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Hello, matey. All change now, please. Thank you.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51How come you're at Morden?
0:14:51 > 0:14:54I'm at Morden now? Am I?
0:14:54 > 0:14:55No, this is Kennington.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- This is Morden. - Oh, is it really? No. Is it?
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Oh, I'm at Kennington now. And then I'll switch over to the Northern Line
0:15:05 > 0:15:08and then head towards Morden from there.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I think we're at Morden.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Are we? Are we at Morden?
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Oh! I'm on the wrong tube altogether.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Oh, wow.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Is it the end of the Tube now? I need to get a bus.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Come on, you need to get off the train.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Mate, don't keep putting your head back down.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34'The easiest way, if they've got a bit of luggage
0:15:34 > 0:15:36'and they're holding onto it,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40'is take the luggage and they get up and follow it. It makes life easy.'
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Where do you need to get to?
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Blood flowing yet?
0:15:47 > 0:15:51- Blackhorse Road.- You need to use the night buses out the front now.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Are you a member of staff? Excuse me.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Can I get to Clapham Common from here?
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Yes, if you go outside, sir, out the front of the station,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- N155 will take you straight there, every 15 minutes.- A tube?- No, bus.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- I can't get on the Tube? - No more trains, sir.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11I was at Chalk Farm, went out to dinner with some friends
0:16:11 > 0:16:14and fell asleep on the train.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16- Was it a good night?- Wonderful!
0:16:16 > 0:16:20This is actually the first time I've done this.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24But my flatmate has done this before. I've never done this! I'm like, "Shit!"
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Last train. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Hello, mate. All change, please.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Keep going, there's no more trains,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37you need to use the buses out the front.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39No, my friend, this way.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42No, no, no. Come on, keep going.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44'Anybody who comes in my station,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'I've got a sense of responsibility for. Doesn't matter who they are.'
0:16:47 > 0:16:51If the worst comes to the worst, I'll get them a cab.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53If I've got to pay for it, I'll pay for it.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56But just to make sure they get home safely. I've done that once before
0:16:56 > 0:16:59and I got the money back the next day from the lady,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01so that was sweet. And a box of chocolates.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05- Goodnight.- Goodnight.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11There we go. All done.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16- Where do the trains go from here? - Into the depot.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21They go into their little bedroom and have a little kip for the night.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Once the Underground stops, the entire fleet of trains
0:17:32 > 0:17:37are taken into depots across the city to be cleaned and maintained.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44This depot now, I've got to go on seven road, but at the back.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49I go to the furthest one, and someone else will go behind me then.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57This will be me now.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07I'll be back now about 3:30am, I reckon.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Let's hope there will be a night feed waiting for me with the baby.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13I'm off the weekend, which is nice.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15- TANNOY:- 'Ladies and gentlemen,
0:18:15 > 0:18:20'the last train to central London has departed this station.'
0:18:55 > 0:18:59The engineers at Harrow have been working through the night.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02You need sleepers for that end.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07The old track, which has been in use for over 40 years,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11is being cut into sections and loaded onto engineering trains.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18You've got to line the panels up perfectly on the train,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22so that when it goes out to Network Rail it doesn't catch anything.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25The guy up there is the load examiner.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28If he says no, it stays here and then trains don't run.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32We've got about 90 metres of power to take out.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36The dig's a bit behind. But once the power is out,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40we'll get our two machines back on the dig and blast it then.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43It's been nicknamed Horror on the Hill
0:19:43 > 0:19:47because we've done quite a few jobs round here and every job seems...
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Something little goes wrong and then it snowballs
0:19:50 > 0:19:53and then we're panicking to hand the track back
0:19:53 > 0:19:56at the end of the Sunday night/Monday morning.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Replacing this 341-metre section of track
0:20:01 > 0:20:05is costing London Underground over £1 million.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Are you stripping that one down?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09It's just a small part of a £10 billion plan
0:20:09 > 0:20:14to restore the entire Tube network over the next 15 years.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23David Waboso is London Underground's director of capital programmes.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26As the man responsible for the whole upgrade plan,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29his weekends are spent visiting engineering sites
0:20:29 > 0:20:31across the network.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34This weekend, we've got quite a lot of work on.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39The north end of the Met Line is closed, that's where we're going.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42We're doing some work on the District Line.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44This is the original Tube network, goes back 150 years now.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46The Circle Line is closed
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and we're doing some tube renewing work on the Northern Line.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Any weekend, this is a fairly typical mix of rail stations, drainage,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57civil engineering, track and some systems work.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01We have to do it to keep the network going because it's just so old,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03so much of it needs renewing.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09With several engineering jobs every weekend,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and only a limited amount of time in which to do them,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14the works have overrun in the past,
0:21:14 > 0:21:19causing huge disruption to passengers on Monday morning.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21You can't do this sort of thing,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24where you are taking away parts of the network,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and be anything but very aware of the impact
0:21:27 > 0:21:28of not getting it back in time.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32It's a huge responsibility and something that,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35if you do fail, you just want, you know,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37you want to curl up in a corner. It's terrible.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- Is this the...? - We're just renewing this.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58- Platform three. 341 metres BTR. - Just as....
0:22:01 > 0:22:03At the far end of the site,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06engineers have been held up by some damaged equipment.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09What's the issue with the Connect cable?
0:22:09 > 0:22:12The tamping tie went through the orange pipe.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15The crew said that, they were on their headsets between each other,
0:22:15 > 0:22:19that broke down in-between communications, they couldn't stop him.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23A piece of heavy machinery has cut through one of the radio cables
0:22:23 > 0:22:27that allow drivers to communicate with the rest of the network.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31That's where the... On both sides, yeah.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- It's not dangerous. Is it all right for now?- Yeah, yeah.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36You can see. Both sides.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41He's actually cut the cable, has he?
0:22:41 > 0:22:46He's gone through the sheathing and it's showing a fault.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50I don't know how they missed that. A great big orange pipe.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55They've gone through a cable that runs our radio, which is...
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I need to find out how that happened and why that happened.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02No radio, no train service. I'm worried about that.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04That's how suddenly you can go
0:23:04 > 0:23:06from everything being in control in a weekend
0:23:06 > 0:23:09to adding another two, three, four hours worth of work.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11So we've got to get that sorted today.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Are we sure this Connect cable thing is under control?
0:23:18 > 0:23:22How do you know it's 1.5 hours worth of work and not 10 hours?
0:23:22 > 0:23:24That's on my worry list.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Electricians are brought in to try and repair the cable,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30which is vital to the running of the railway.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33You always look at it and I say, without sort of...
0:23:33 > 0:23:38You think, "I've got to get all this back in for Monday morning."
0:23:38 > 0:23:40That's what you think.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44And there's all these people here who have to work safely.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49The railway is in pieces and it's all got to go back.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Whilst everything is being done to prevent commuters being delayed on Monday morning,
0:23:55 > 0:24:00there's no avoiding the disruption that these planned closures cause weekend passengers.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09All change, please. All change. This train terminates here.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Because of the engineering works,
0:24:11 > 0:24:16the Tube has not run a full weekend service for over four years.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18All change, please.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23This weekend, there are six separate line closures.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26You need to take the Northern Line to Moorgate,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Circle Line to Tower Hill,
0:24:29 > 0:24:34then walk round to Fenchurch Street, it's the c2c from there.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38They just shut everything down. The Circle Line don't go round in a circle.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45And you're just left to your own devices.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48And all you get is, "Use the Northern Line."
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Hello. What's the Northern Line?
0:24:50 > 0:24:53TANNOY: 'Ladies and gentlemen, because of planned work,
0:24:53 > 0:24:58'we have no train service from this station today.'
0:24:58 > 0:25:04On any weekend, up to 70 of the network's 274 stations are closed.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- There's no line...- There's nothing working today or tomorrow.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- So I have to get the bus? - Yes, it's just outside.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13We went to the cinema here
0:25:13 > 0:25:16and usually we get the Tube from Northwood.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23So we've had to drive here and just park down the road here.
0:25:23 > 0:25:29All last summer, every weekend, it's been closed. Every weekend.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33- You need to go outside and take a bus just outside.- There's no...
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Train. God, they're hopeless.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40There's nothing we can do.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43They have the power. Not us.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- No trains! - You jump on a bus outside.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50- I came all the way up the stairs! - All you need to do...
0:25:50 > 0:25:52All this Oyster money going up, going up,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55it's not convenient for your family.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00And there's no sign saying the trains were not working.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05They put up all the fares,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09but they've hardly got any loos, they've hardly got any lifts.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12What about people with families and young children?
0:26:12 > 0:26:16- BABY CRIES - Horrible, it is.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18He's upset now because we thought
0:26:18 > 0:26:21he'd have some nice feeding on the train
0:26:21 > 0:26:23and now we're back outside again.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26OK, darling. It's horrible, isn't it?
0:26:26 > 0:26:29London Transport!
0:26:36 > 0:26:39- Right, where we going?- Rayners Lane. - Rayners Lane?
0:26:39 > 0:26:44You're out of luck. You want the other side of the road!
0:26:44 > 0:26:45They're not inconvenienced.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49If they lived out in the sticks, they wouldn't have any transport.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Where I am, the last bus is 10 o'clock at night.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54In London, they don't realise how lucky they are
0:26:54 > 0:26:57with any form of transport every few minutes.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59When I'm on holiday near Skegness,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02the last bus was five o'clock in the evening.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06They don't realise how lucky they are, waiting a few minutes.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09And I'm glad of it, it's given me some work.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Without this, I wouldn't have the hours and pay the gas bill.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27For the stations that remain open,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31the Tube is busier than ever before at the weekend.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37Every Saturday, three million people use the Underground.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Although, unlike the weekday commuter,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44many of them are completely new to the system.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54OK, thank you.
0:27:55 > 0:28:01- Those tickets, I thought they were for the Underground for the whole weekend?- No.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04I want to go to Kew Gardens, what do I have to do?
0:28:04 > 0:28:06That ticket won't be good enough.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10This receipt does not belong to this Oyster card.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15Can I get places to visit, the brochure with places to visit?
0:28:15 > 0:28:19'Saturdays and Sundays is totally different to working in the week.'
0:28:19 > 0:28:22They don't really know where they are or where they want to go.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25A lot of them can't understand the Underground system,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28like how the maps go. They ask us a lot about the buses, you know,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31the tour buses that go around, where they can get that from.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34A lot of people want to know where Trafalgar Square is,
0:28:34 > 0:28:38we're near enough the nearest station anyway.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41I feel like sometimes, I have to be an A-Z.
0:28:41 > 0:28:42- Hello.- Hello.
0:28:42 > 0:28:47- To Big Ben?- Big Ben, you need to go to Westminster.- OK.
0:28:47 > 0:28:52- Can you walk?- What, from here? You can do, it's a nice day out.
0:28:54 > 0:28:5790% of tourists who visit London
0:28:57 > 0:28:59take on the challenge of using the Tube.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Not all of them succeed.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06Your husband is at Goodge Street.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10- Where?- Your husband is at Goodge Street. One stop.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13This way, one stop. Yeah?
0:29:13 > 0:29:17- And then he's going to come back here.- He is here?
0:29:17 > 0:29:20- He is at Goodge Street. - You know that?- Yes.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Yeah, number 2 to base, over.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25Even if they manage not to lose each other,
0:29:25 > 0:29:31the inexperienced travellers must still get to grips with the Underground's famous map.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33I don't understand it at all, I just follow him.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36Let's have a look, see where we are.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39There's not enough information.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43For argument's sake, all the lines that you have got here,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46they're colour-coded, but they're also numbered.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48But they're only numbered on the ramps,
0:29:48 > 0:29:50they're not numbered on the map.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Well, we are going to the... Tower Castle.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00Tower Castle? Tower Bridge.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03- Tower Bridge?- Yes, Tower Bridge. It's not easy.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06You need your brain to remember, and do some walk.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08This one here.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12The only one I find confusing is the Northern one, the Northern Line.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17When you're on the Northern Line, you're going north or south,
0:30:17 > 0:30:18and I get confused.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21North North, North South?
0:30:24 > 0:30:27We are still waiting for this French family.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Do you know any more about it, over?
0:30:29 > 0:30:33'I told you, get his wife to turn left.'
0:30:33 > 0:30:34Thanks. Out.
0:30:38 > 0:30:43There they are, they're over there. This will be interesting.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56- You lost each other! - I had an old map, not good.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00And so, we went wrong and so, everything is OK,
0:31:00 > 0:31:04thanks to the people of the Underground, it's OK.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07I've been here since I started the job,
0:31:07 > 0:31:0910 years, 10.5 years,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13and I think they will be carrying me out in my wooden box.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17I love working here, I wouldn't work anywhere else.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21I would not like to be at a quiet station. I like the hustle and bustle
0:31:21 > 0:31:24and I like the interaction with customers as well.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Tomorrow I am going to Heathrow, which ticket do I need?
0:31:27 > 0:31:31- Are you just going to make one single journey tomorrow?- Yes, please.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34It's going to be £5 for a single. OK, thanks a lot.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42The train arriving on platform two will terminate here.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44All change, please, all change, please.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50- Liverpool Street, please? - Platform three.- Thank you.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52'The people you have to watch out for,'
0:31:52 > 0:31:54particularly tourists,
0:31:54 > 0:31:57are people who aren't used to making the daily commute,
0:31:57 > 0:31:58who just ended up on the system.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01The first train will be that one.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04- Thank you.- That one, there.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Number eight, that will get you there. All the best.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18London, it's overwhelming for some people.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21It can be overwhelming for most people.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24We are not designed to live with this number of people.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28We can't, millions of people, we can't have a connection with.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31You can't have direct relationships, friendships.
0:32:31 > 0:32:36We are designed more for villages and small, you know, communities.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40If you have any form of illness or bereavement or problem,
0:32:40 > 0:32:44London can be a very, very hard city to live in.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47Train on platform two is the westbound District Line,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49for all stations to Richmond.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52This train will shortly depart. Thank you.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09On Saturday nights, many stations in the centre
0:33:09 > 0:33:14experience their busiest and most challenging time of the week.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24At Leicester Square, in the heart of the West End,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26it's already 10 o'clock.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31But another 20,000 customers are still expected to pass through.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33The platforms are quite clear,
0:33:33 > 0:33:37so just a matter of them blocking up the entrance staircase, but trains
0:33:37 > 0:33:40are coming quite frequently, so if we can send them down the stairs.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Downstairs, this way, Piccadilly Line, downstairs,
0:33:43 > 0:33:44there's a train in a minute.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Down here, mate. Train in one minute.
0:33:48 > 0:33:54Station supervisor Wasim Malik is trying to control the flow of passengers onto the platforms.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58We are in the heart of the West End, the hub of the West End.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00You've got the cinemas, the clubs, the pubs,
0:34:00 > 0:34:02and everyone wants to get home,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05everyone just thinking about themselves.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07Obviously, we are here just to keep some sort
0:34:07 > 0:34:10of order. It can be difficult.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Move onto the cream bit.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Guys, follow the cream bit, please.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17# Ga-Ga, ooh-la-la! #
0:34:17 > 0:34:23Take your friend out, sober him up, come back in about 15 or 20 minutes.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26- Fine, thank you very much. - You need to leave the alcohol behind.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28I'm not going to drink it on the train.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Either leave it behind or I will call one of the police over.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34Just put it on the floor.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36As well as being the busiest night-time station,
0:34:36 > 0:34:42Leicester Square also has one of the highest levels of crime on the whole network.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46They've been pickpocketed on the train.
0:34:46 > 0:34:47You said the bank of...?
0:34:47 > 0:34:49- Sao Paulo.- Thank you.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54- On a weekend, you can get three or four a shift.- Really?- Mmm.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01The worst that society can conjure up come through
0:35:01 > 0:35:03and manifest themselves in Leicester Square.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06All sorts of vices, alcohol abuse, drug abuse,
0:35:06 > 0:35:08all sorts of people come through.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12It sort of numbs you to the reality of society, how bad society can get.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16But I am a religious person, so I don't let it affect me too much.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21- Sorry.- Platform number four,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- there is a fight on platform four. - There is a fight on platform four.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Can you send Paul to assist me, please?
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Have you called BTP?
0:35:33 > 0:35:34Excuse me, please.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Where's the assailant?
0:35:41 > 0:35:44- Where?- 'Looks like a knife of some description.'
0:35:44 > 0:35:48Where is the person who did it?
0:35:50 > 0:35:52Right, it's an alleged stabbing.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54We need BTP urgently.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Any other witnesses to this incident? SHE SCREAMS
0:35:57 > 0:36:01I think I've been stabbed. Ohh!
0:36:01 > 0:36:04Any other witnesses to this incident?
0:36:06 > 0:36:08Did you see anything?
0:36:08 > 0:36:11SHE WAILS
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Why are you all standing round?
0:36:13 > 0:36:16The female got stabbed and was chucked onto the tracks
0:36:16 > 0:36:19by a man standing, and she's been stabbed.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22That's basically what's happened, really.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25The boyfriend at the moment is getting quite hysterical,
0:36:25 > 0:36:30because he's upset. Look, he's going to get arrested now.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Enough! You need to calm down! Calm down!
0:36:33 > 0:36:36- Stay still, for your own good, stay still!- Get off me!
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Calm down!
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Calm down!
0:36:41 > 0:36:42Get him away.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50I don't want any trains leaving platforms three and four at the moment, please.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53'Do you want to go non-stop in both directions?'
0:36:53 > 0:36:56Yes, yes. Both directions.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59'OK, we'll get non-stop in both directions.'
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Platform four is now a crime scene.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05The line controller has ordered drivers to pass without stopping.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09It is 11.30 at night, the station's busiest time.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13And within minutes, there is a crowd of hundreds of stranded customers.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17- It's not going to be stopping at this station now.- It's not stopping?
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Aah. No more trains tonight?
0:37:19 > 0:37:22- I'm closing this platform. - I'm getting on this train.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24It's not stopping.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28- It looks like it's stopping. - I told you, it's not stopping.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Leave the platform, please.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Well, how am I supposed to get where I'm supposed to be going?
0:37:36 > 0:37:40Can you put a call out for Imam to come up to the ticket hall area, please, over?
0:37:40 > 0:37:41'OK, thanks, Paul.'
0:37:47 > 0:37:50You'll be all right if you go now.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52I'm not going to row with you about this.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56- I can only help you to where... - It's a failure of your organisation.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58I can only help you to where you're going now.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02Your organisation has failed. Your organisation has failed yet again.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Where are you going to?
0:38:04 > 0:38:07Is it quicker to walk to Charing Cross?
0:38:07 > 0:38:09- Yeah? Is that quicker?- Yes.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14It's a busy weekend night,
0:38:14 > 0:38:19and it's 30 minutes before the paramedics arrive on the scene.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22Excuse me, do you know what happened?
0:38:22 > 0:38:27- A stabbing.- OK.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36All I know is he pushed her, I didn't see the stabbing, OK? Right?
0:38:36 > 0:38:41Over 200 people a year are seriously injured on the Underground.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46All incidents are recorded and saved on CCTV.
0:38:48 > 0:38:53The footage shows the girl being pushed onto the live tracks
0:38:53 > 0:38:57by another customer before a station cleaner pulls her to safety.
0:38:57 > 0:38:58Crazy, isn't it?
0:39:00 > 0:39:03In the confusion, it's difficult to establish
0:39:03 > 0:39:06whether a stabbing has also taken place.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11The police will now need access to the tracks for their investigation.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14And 20 minutes before last trains,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17the Northern Line is suspended here completely.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24There is no Northern Line services from this station.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Anyone for the Northern Line, make your way to Charing Cross.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31You will be able to get the Northern Line from there.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37This station is now closed, this station is now closed, I'm afraid, all lines operating
0:39:37 > 0:39:40have now departed, this station is now closed.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45The last train goes at 38 minutes past.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49It's 34 now. I make this last train every night.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52It's standard procedure, it's a crime scene.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55Then why don't you just say that?
0:39:57 > 0:40:00No-one cares, I used to work...
0:40:00 > 0:40:04I worked at Holborn once, there was a person dead on the floor and people...
0:40:04 > 0:40:08on the escalator, and people still trampling over him just to get to the platform.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11No-one cares. It's just this tunnel vision people have,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14they want to get to wherever they want to get to.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17Welcome to London. Welcome to the Underground.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31Sunday morning at the western end of the Central Line.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37Ruislip Depot is rolling out its first trains of the day.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Depots aren't only a place for trains to spend the night,
0:40:42 > 0:40:47it's also where all the essential maintenance work takes place.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52With fewer trains in service, Sundays are a busy day for the mechanics.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Power on 48 west.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Just need to jump up in the cab to power this baby up.
0:41:03 > 0:41:04Normal.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06I'll do my end door.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Zero.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Two and a half.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Normal.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17There you go, that's it. All set. Simple as that.
0:41:17 > 0:41:22Running for 19 out of every 24 hours and covering over 200 miles a day,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25tube trains need to be regularly maintained.
0:41:26 > 0:41:32Every single train on the network is given a full mechanical examination once a fortnight.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36We are doing a 14-day exam.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41It's like an MOT for the train.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50Right, they're too small, so they're going to have to be changed.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52At the moment, I'm just checking
0:41:52 > 0:41:55to see whether these brushes need changing.
0:41:55 > 0:42:01Mark has gone round and done the brakes and John is checking the gearboxes.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Powered by an electrical current running through the track,
0:42:04 > 0:42:08the workings of a tube train are not isolated to a single engine,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11but spread through all the carriages.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Each one of the 32 motors, gearboxes and brakes
0:42:16 > 0:42:21and all 64 wheels must be in full working order.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24If they weren't checked, anything could happen.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28You could have failures on the line, trains out of service,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31disgruntled passengers, you know.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36Disgruntled bosses, even, if the trains were out of service.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39So, there is a knock-on effect.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46So you never get bored of Tube trains?
0:42:46 > 0:42:51Well, I suppose I've always been fascinated by them,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54even more so since I've been working on them.
0:42:54 > 0:42:59My wife thinks I'm a bit of an anorak, especially when we go away to Europe or something like that
0:42:59 > 0:43:02and you see all the different styles of trains and that.
0:43:02 > 0:43:08She finds it quite funny when I get excited to see a different train going by and all that.
0:43:08 > 0:43:09That's by the by.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14Come on, boys, you're a bit slow, aren't you?
0:43:14 > 0:43:17- Going out to get a screwdriver. - Oh, right.
0:43:24 > 0:43:30- TANNOY:- 'This is Shepherd's Bush. This is a Central Line train to Tottenham Court Road.'
0:43:30 > 0:43:32Just testing the radio.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36'One, two, three, four, five.'
0:43:36 > 0:43:37That was Sonia.
0:43:37 > 0:43:43- The radio.- Who's Sonia? - Sonia, she's the person that does the announcements.
0:43:45 > 0:43:51'This is Bethnal Green. This is a Central Line train to White City.'
0:43:51 > 0:43:55- Since when was she called Sonia? - Well, because "Son-yer nerves."
0:43:57 > 0:44:02'PA test. One, two, three, four, five.'
0:44:07 > 0:44:12It's Andy Hogg, NOC. Can you give me a call back urgently, as soon as you get the message? Cheers, ta.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16On the rest of the network, it's business as usual.
0:44:16 > 0:44:21Farringdon's done and dusted. Putney, they've got the severe, Stonebridge we know about
0:44:21 > 0:44:24and now the Victoria Line is going to join the party.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26NOC, hello, Victoria.
0:44:26 > 0:44:32In the last ten years, passenger numbers at the weekend have doubled.
0:44:32 > 0:44:37With two million customers moving around the network, Sundays are no longer a day of rest.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40You're OK to remain at good service, yeah?
0:44:40 > 0:44:42It's a different sort of busy.
0:44:42 > 0:44:47The timetables are different because the number of trains at certain times of the day have to vary,
0:44:47 > 0:44:53because we have to respond to what is going on in the weekend.
0:44:53 > 0:44:57If Arsenal are playing at the Emirates, I'm keeping a close eye on the Pic and the Vic
0:44:57 > 0:45:01because that's the one that'll be affected. Everything that's going on,
0:45:01 > 0:45:06I've got an understanding of the potential failures, so I'm keeping an eye on things.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10It is good, it keeps you on your toes, or it should do, anyway.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14I mean, some days, as I say, everything goes absolutely swimmingly.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17So far, today, it has been.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20But some days, it goes just one failure after another
0:45:20 > 0:45:25and you think, "I've done something wrong today, the gods are against me."
0:45:27 > 0:45:30In east London, the approaching Olympics has meant
0:45:30 > 0:45:34that Stratford station has been massively extended.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41Today, it's having to cope with the biggest shopping centre
0:45:41 > 0:45:44in Europe opening on its doorstep.
0:45:44 > 0:45:49Please make your way upstairs towards John Lewis.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53Excuse me, can you carry on walking through? You're causing a blockage.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00Quick, we're getting a pram block. Let's get going.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04You've heard of a logjam, this is a pram jam.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10Having a good time shopping? You'd think there was a recession on, wouldn't you?
0:46:12 > 0:46:13Come through together.
0:46:13 > 0:46:19Peter May is one of 20 extra station staff who've been brought in to deal with the rush.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22When I was a kid, I lived at King's Cross.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25And King's Cross station was my playground.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28So, yeah, I like the smell of the underground.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31I always wanted to be a train driver,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34a London Underground train driver.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37I ain't got there yet, they won't let me in, yet.
0:46:39 > 0:46:45Believe me, when I first started this job, a weekend was never like this, not on the weekend.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49Easily over 1,000 people just got off of one train.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53And it's on the weekend. It's increased exponentially.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57People are supposed to be at home enjoying themselves,
0:46:57 > 0:46:59having a beer in the garden.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Not like this.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16At Harrow on the Hill, the engineers have been working all weekend.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22The running track has been replaced.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25Now, all 341 metres have to be secured into place
0:47:25 > 0:47:27with heavy duty metal clips.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds, it's tedious.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38I hate it, doing this. It's just never-ending.
0:47:45 > 0:47:46Clear all this, yeah?
0:47:46 > 0:47:50The pressure starts at the top and gets filtered down, doesn't it?
0:47:50 > 0:47:51So, you know, we just get shouted at,
0:47:51 > 0:47:54"Hurry up. Do this, do this, do that, do that."
0:47:54 > 0:47:57So, it gets passed down, I get screamed at
0:47:57 > 0:48:01and I scream at my lads and then they go home and moan about me.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15Still got to clip the rail up, they've got to drop the top stone,
0:48:15 > 0:48:19the welders have got to come through, it's got to be tamped,
0:48:19 > 0:48:23then the conductor rail's got to go in, then you got to build the shoulders,
0:48:23 > 0:48:26do all the snagging, bits and bobs, there's still plenty to do.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39Are we running late, or are we on time?
0:48:39 > 0:48:41- On time.- Cool.- Hopefully.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48Terry Bannister is Harrow station supervisor.
0:48:48 > 0:48:53If the engineering works overrun, he'll be unable to open the station
0:48:53 > 0:48:56to his regular commuters tomorrow morning.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59At the moment they're putting down the signalling cables,
0:48:59 > 0:49:03the track's down and they've also got the juice rail has got to go down.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05I've seen it happen several times and I still think,
0:49:05 > 0:49:09"How are they going to do all of that work and get up and running
0:49:09 > 0:49:10"in time for Monday morning?"
0:49:10 > 0:49:13The first train is the 5:31 in the morning.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17It's got to come through Uxbridge, so it's got to come through these lines.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19It could be tight.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22Right, what are we doing now?
0:49:22 > 0:49:25There's a couple of doors open down there, I'm going to shut them up.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28Monday morning is the gold medal, I suppose you could call it,
0:49:28 > 0:49:29of the service.
0:49:29 > 0:49:35If you get Monday morning right then I think everybody will be happy.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38I'll do the alarms and the porter switches.
0:49:40 > 0:49:41Hello, can you hear me?
0:49:41 > 0:49:44Yeah, loud and clear.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49Just testing the alarms to the cab.
0:49:49 > 0:49:50Hello?
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Can you hear me, mother?
0:49:53 > 0:49:55Obviously not.
0:49:56 > 0:50:01What would happen if this wasn't ready for tomorrow morning's service?
0:50:01 > 0:50:03It wouldn't bear thinking about.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07We'll have the whole world on top of us, I think.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11They'll want to know why and... you know.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14But then again, if it's beyond our control, then what can we do?
0:50:14 > 0:50:18- Is there one more, Mark?- Yeah, there is, mate, but it's not working.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21All they're concerned about is getting the train there on time
0:50:21 > 0:50:23and getting into work, that's it.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26- Will this get them there? - Course it will!
0:50:26 > 0:50:28Of course it will, it's my baby!
0:50:46 > 0:50:51Basically we're flat out, very, very busy at this moment in time.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55We've got a lot of people out we need to coordinate between.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59We've got my men, then we've got signals doing their signal work,
0:50:59 > 0:51:02power people doing the power work and we've also got trains
0:51:02 > 0:51:07that we need to exit, so Sunday night can be very, very stressful.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10It's not connected.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14It's out of date. It doesn't pass the gauge.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17You're standing, nothing will happen, yeah.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21The engineers at Harrow are beginning to run out of time.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24Signal technicians haven't even started the final stage
0:51:24 > 0:51:26of rewiring the railway.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32On Friday night I think about 100 cables were removed,
0:51:32 > 0:51:36various cables, there's different types of cables, as you'll see.
0:51:36 > 0:51:41Some of them are bigger than others, some of them take more work than others.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43But, yeah, it's all basically to be reconnected.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46Once all the machinery and everything's off,
0:51:46 > 0:51:49we power everything back up and test everything to make sure
0:51:49 > 0:51:52everything's gone back without no problems.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54Hopefully everything's working.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03They should be off and finished here with all their machinery
0:52:03 > 0:52:06by 11 o'clock, which gives us a four-hour window
0:52:06 > 0:52:10- to finish reconnecting anything that's not reconnected, and test it.- What if they're delayed?
0:52:10 > 0:52:15If they're delayed, we're delayed, and the public's probably delayed in the morning.
0:52:19 > 0:52:25I will call and give him the times and then we'll take it from that, yeah?
0:52:25 > 0:52:28At engineering headquarters, Bernie Webb's team are waiting
0:52:28 > 0:52:32for the engineers to clear the tracks so they can repower the line.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36I'm going to do something a little bit strange, now, though.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38I'm going to go up one floor in the lift,
0:52:38 > 0:52:40because I'm quite superstitious.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42We are a superstitious bunch.
0:52:42 > 0:52:48If I have a really bad night and things have really gone badly,
0:52:48 > 0:52:51and I will always look to see what I was wearing
0:52:51 > 0:52:54and I won't wear that article of clothing for a really long time.
0:52:54 > 0:52:59If it happened twice, it's in the bin. I'm just going to take this.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01Hello, Bernie.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Hi, Lee.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08Yeah, yeah I've been speaking to Diego,
0:53:08 > 0:53:10he says it's got a bit of a hold-up out on the ground.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13They're sailing a bit later than they should be.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17So, it's really a question of, it looks like it is going to be another half an hour.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21We can live with that. Any more than half an hour, though, we can't.
0:53:27 > 0:53:33As the weekend draws to a close, stations across the network begin to shut down for the night.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37PHONE RINGS
0:53:37 > 0:53:40Good evening, Morden. Hello, London Bridge, how can I help?
0:53:40 > 0:53:44At most stations, a supervisor stays on duty all night...
0:53:45 > 0:53:48..ready to deal with any eventuality.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51As you can see down here, there's poo everywhere.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55They seem to fly in, do their business and go.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01There's one just over there, two just over there on the cable run,
0:54:01 > 0:54:03one up the other end.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09Probably 50 or 60 pigeons here at any one time.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Well, the owl, initially, was as a deterrent,
0:54:14 > 0:54:16like a scarecrow, but it hasn't worked.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20The first night they put it in we've got a picture
0:54:20 > 0:54:21of a pigeon sat on his head.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Now they've plumbed in this big thing down the other end,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27the big speaker that puts out these sounds.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29ZAPPING NOISES
0:54:29 > 0:54:33That sounds more like the old '80s video games.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35They're great noises.
0:54:35 > 0:54:40If you see behind me, you can see that the pigeons are still sat there,
0:54:40 > 0:54:42not moving, it's not affecting them at all.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45I've got a feeling our pigeons down here are deaf, anyway.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48With the sounds of the trains coming in.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53- What time are you here till?- Seven.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Seven o'clock in the morning.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58It's booking on contractors now,
0:54:58 > 0:55:02closing the station, final sweep, have a walk round, make sure everybody's off.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06London never sleeps, it's true what they say.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22It's 3:15 in the morning, and just a quarter of an hour behind schedule,
0:55:22 > 0:55:27the 100 engineers at Harrow are ready to hand back the railway.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31All the men are starting to take all the tools up.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34Half past five, I think, this station opens.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36We'll be long gone.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41I enjoy my work, I enjoy seeing the likes of now,
0:55:41 > 0:55:43where you can see what we've done and it looks good.
0:55:43 > 0:55:49I think it's about 25 to 30 years that track will last.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52Before it needs renewing.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56To see it all work on the weekend is very satisfying, like.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Given the green light, code green, everything OK.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06PHONE RINGS
0:56:06 > 0:56:07Hello, Bernie.
0:56:09 > 0:56:10Oh, hey, Lee.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15Really, all signal testing completed?
0:56:18 > 0:56:21Excellent, well done, mate, thank you very much.
0:56:21 > 0:56:26It's nothing to do with those people working solidly out on the ground
0:56:26 > 0:56:30and under loads of pressure. It was always going to be OK,
0:56:30 > 0:56:32the lucky grey shirt.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34I think I probably won't bother washing it,
0:56:34 > 0:56:38I'll just wear it every day until something goes wrong.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41Just start worrying about next weekend now.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57Ladies and gentlemen, service update from the control room.
0:56:57 > 0:57:02There is a good service in operation on all London Underground lines.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07Monday morning is fairly sombre,
0:57:07 > 0:57:10most of the passengers are in a bad mood anyway
0:57:10 > 0:57:13cos the weekend's over and they've got to start that daily slog.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19Please move right down into the carriages using all available space.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23And even though it's packed and it can be a bit smelly
0:57:23 > 0:57:26and if you're little, your nose in some bloke's armpit,
0:57:26 > 0:57:29it's like a can of sardines and you can't read your book,
0:57:29 > 0:57:32it's a good service because the trains are coming through,
0:57:32 > 0:57:35thick and fast, there's no delays.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48Amersham passengers, your next fast service will depart from platform number three.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51I don't think any customers are really aware that the track
0:57:51 > 0:57:54was pulled out, replaced, ready for them on Monday morning.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58They haven't a clue what has happened over the weekend.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02They just want to get to work, don't they? That's all they want.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05There's a lot of people in the background that you don't
0:58:05 > 0:58:11see or hear from that are working very hard to make that happen.
0:58:33 > 0:58:36Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd