About this season
With visitor numbers approaching 70 million every year, Paddington is one of the UK's busiest transport hubs.
Episodes (8)
1. Episode 1
10.0Aired 26 October 2020 • 45 min
The Cheltenham Festival means up to five times the usual number of passengers use the Western Network, some of whom have had an early-morning tipple.
2. Episode 2
Aired 2 November 2020 • 45 min
Life at one of the UK's busiest transport hubs. Staff at Paddington are given a moment's notice before the arrival of the prime minister.
3. Episode 3
Aired 9 November 2020 • 45 min
A passenger, who has dropped their overnight bag on the tracks, threatens to jump on the live rail to retrieve it. A major power failure causes signal problems.
4. Episode 4
Aired 16 November 2020 • 45 min
While the lines are quiet over Christmas a mega-crane is brought in to replace track near Oxford.
5. Episode 5
Aired 23 November 2020 • 45 min
Maintenance work is underway on England's longest railway tunnel, as the Victorian infrastructure is adapted to support today's large freight trains. They begin the task of lowering the rail bed and bringing the tracks into the centre of the tunnel.
6. Episode 6
Aired 30 November 2020 • 45 min
At Paddington, there's a fire alert as smoke is seen smouldering on the tracks outside the station. In Tiverton, a mile-long stretch of the track on the busy mainline needs to be replaced, but the weather begins to turn.
7. Episode 7
Aired 7 December 2020 • 45 min
Staff prepare for a VIP visitor, who turns out to be Prince Harry, while a buckled rail is threatening to disrupt the timetable at Route Control in Swindon. A failed freight train requires a rescue locomotive as delays and cancellations stack up.
8. Episode 8
Aired 14 December 2020 • 45 min
This week at Paddington, a high speed train comes to an abrupt halt in the station as there are fears it's collided with something on the track.