The Railway : Keeping Britain on Track.(BBC2)
Summer Madness
The second programme
in this BBC2 series centres on Leeds.
And given the
difficulties and challenges encountered, you would be forgiven for wondering
why anyone would want to work on the railways.
The episode title
says it all…”Summer Madness”….and that’s not just talking about the weather,
but the people…
We are introduced
to chanting groups, drunken pub crawlers on the Ale Trail, abusive
passengers, trespassers…(and
the resultant accidental death, and having to deal with making contact with the
surviving relatives), the work of maintenance crews as they deal with the
extraordinary effects of torrential rain
and the inevitable delays and frustrations that follow…..
realizing the cost
to Network Rail of delays, and the cost to the travelling public..
Yet somehow, the
railway staff stoically carry out their work, and adopt a philosophy in dealing
with the public and issues that come up...and longing, like Imran, for the end of the shift so he can get home to see his family..
Jason, a driver , said that it would be a great job without
the passengers! And when explaining that not all drivers are on the big trains
going to London, but on lines serving the public across Yorkshire said that the
best drivers provide a Public service in the face of adversity (the public)….
And in the control
room, one operator says that what drives them on is a passion to deliver a better railway…
This episode
provides some insight into the pressures on railway staff to keep the service
going..
..but more than
that, it says a good deal more about those who use the service and their
attitudetowards it.
A sobering episode
…a worthy effort.
Catch this episode on BBC2 on Thursday evening (1120pm) and on BBC iPlayer until
Tue, 26 Mar 2013
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