Seasons & episodes

A year long look at the staff working hard at Paddington railway station – one of Britain's busiest.

A heat wave causes a points failure near Didcot. A young man is seen retrieving his belongings from the track.

The arrival of autumn brings new challenges, from a leaking roof to storms and an unexploded WWII bomb.

While the lines are quiet over Christmas a mega-crane is brought in to replace track near Oxford.

20,000 football fans take to the western network for the Champions League Final in Cardiff. Extra trains have been laid on, but getting everyone home after the match is complicated by a major terrorist incident at London Bridge.

Temperatures soar in the height of summer, warping iron tracks and delaying trains. Problems are also caused by trespassers on the line, suspect drug users and an electrocuted pigeon.

The staff step back in time when they venture down into tunnels under the station to carry out fire safety checks, and it is the start of the Bank Holiday getaway for thousands of commuters. Jennie, Great Western Railway's new customer ambassador, manages to seat a troupe of young cheerleaders all together, but faces a much bigger challenge when fire alarms go off during rush hour.

Signal problems lead to a restricted service during rush hour, which causes severe congestion at the station and the same equipment causes more grief 24 hours later - leading to the complete suspension of the line. Jonny and his team of engineers are replacing a 60ft section of rail as one of the clamps holding it in place has weakened, but they have just four hours to complete the complex task before the morning rush begins.

The Queen arrives at Paddington on board one of GWR's new Intercity Express Trains, commemorating a trip made by her forebear Queen Victoria. At Reading station, Revenue Protection Officer Lyn has to call for back up when a fare dodger makes a run for it.

A driver raises the alarm when he suspects that his train has hit something - or someone - on the line, while heavy rain brings down a tree which closes the tracks between Banbury and Oxford. Plus, engineers begin the process of dismantling a Victorian viaduct.

Sunday's service grinds to a halt when a train de-rails in the station, a knife-carrying passenger causes concern in Bristol, and cleaners have to respond as passengers ignore the 'Do not flush while in a station' signs.

Transport Police are called after a passenger urinates in a carriage on a train pulling into the station, a low bridge has to be assessed after it is hit by van, and a train's brakes fail in Reading causing widespread delays.

Paddington's managers debate whether to close the station completely due to storms, something that has happened on very few occasions since world war II. There is excitement among staff as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle board a train to Cardiff.

Lost power between Didcot and Paddington causes problems. A truck strikes a railway bridge. A woman has a cardiac arrest at a ticket barrier. In the wake of the Salisbury nerve agent scare, containers of a unknown chemical found on board a train.

British Transport Police chase down a mysterious trespasser known as Spiderman. The Great Western Railway's top brass holds a naming ceremony for a new electric train, but the new route requires demolishing a 120-year-old footbridge in only 72 hours.

A fatality on the line at Slough station means closing the station and the line, leading to a standstill. A Thai princess and her entourage are eager for a tour of the station. Thieves have robbed a scrap yard and used the railway track to get away.

At Paddington, the early morning service from Swansea breaks down and causes major disruption during the morning rush hour. Meanwhile, the staff face further challenges with a string of medical emergencies at the station and sabotage on the tracks.

A track circuit failure closes a platform which is used by high-speed trains, British Transport Police are out in force as rival Oxford and Millwall fans use the network, and a young man is seen on CCTV walking close to the edge of the platform.

As Storm Eleanor strikes, a fly-away plastic bag causes a power outage trapping three trains, and in Hungerford a falling tree hits a Penzance bound service.

The trains to the Cheltenham Races are standing room only, even in first class. Potential flooding at Cowley Bridge could cut off all of Devon from the networ. Emma uses thermal imaging to inspect the lines for defects from a helicopter.

The big Easter getaway brings huge numbers of passengers and problems to the station, a team of 500 carry out a vast re-sigalling project, and Revenue Officer Moses keeps an eye open for anyone attempting to sneak through the barriers.

The real-life crime series has unprecedented access to a covert surveillance operation, which culminates in 10 simultaneous armed dawn raids against organised crime gangs.

An intruder puts his life at risk by running along the tracks. Meanwhile, engineers work around the clock to install new cables at Newbury as part of the multi-million pound project. Also, ticket machine refurbishments do not go to plan.

A heatwave hits hard, causing havoc with signalling equipment at Didcot.