RAILDATE 2023.03.10

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Thank you to this week's contributors.

The Weekly Poser: Where is this?

Outside the UK this week: This train speeds along inside the world's longest airport concourse. Where is it?

Photo taken 2023.03.03 by my son Will Shaw.

Please email your answers to raildate.co.uk@gmail.com

Last week's Where is this?

Electric services to the water's edge in this 1965 photo by Unknown. Where is it?

Answer: Balloch Pier, at the foot of Loch Lomond. Congratulations are due to the following for their correct answers: Richard Maund, Ian Lowe, Mike Rapp, Christopher Meredith, Peter Davies, Simon Wass, Neal Kearns, Paul Hopper, Bryn Pitcher, Hugh Gilles-Smith, Andrew Harthill, and Gordon Sutton.

Balloch is one of the two western termini (along with Helensburgh) of the north Clydeside electrics. But until 1986, the line continued a short distance to Balloch Pier to connect with steamer services on Loch Lomond provided by Maid of the Loch. We see here an Airdrie-bound train waiting.

As a 12-year-old in 1971 from the English Midlands, I alighted at Balloch Pier at the start of a youth hostelling adventure - sans parents. Loch Lomond YH was a fairy-tale Scottish pile with a truly-deafening gong in the hallway to summon hostellers to dinner, but is now in private hands. My six-day hike included a voyage on the Maid and took me along a string of hostels in the Trossachs. Ben Lomond was bagged as my first Munro - the most southerly of Scotland's 282 3,000ft+ peaks. Sadly, I was six years too late to pick up a homeward-bound train at Balquidder, so the bus to Stirling it had to be.

I honour my parents for indulging that adventurous spirit. They were probably terrified for a week.

My only ever sighting of a North British Class 29 was at Glasgow Queen Street where it was stabled as a banking engine. The whole class was withdrawn later that year. [Picture from Wikimedia]

TELEVISION

UK television listings with a transport theme for the next eight days

Click me to open/close [Online only, not in the weekly email]

Abandoned Engineering -:- The world's most impressive disused railway bridges, including the biggest wooden trestle bridge in the world, which was closed down due to hurricane damage

Amazing Railway Adventures with Nick Knowles -:- From the Viking capital of Trondheim, through snow-capped mountain scenery, Nick travels north, making a stop at the station at Hell. At Grong, he stops for the night on the River Namsen. Further up the line, Nick reaches the picture postcard town of Mosjoen where he takes a helicopter ride

Amazing Railway Adventures with Nick Knowles -:- The presenter experiences the wonders of the world, by train. First, he heads to Mexico, where he travels on a route from the Pacific coastline at Sinaloa through the incredible Copper Canyon to Creel in Chihuahua. Before boarding his train, Nick visits Topolobampo, a coastal port, where freight trains carrying goods to and from container ships join the railway line through the Copper Canyon. Boarding the passenger train next morning, Nick's first stop is the old Spanish fort town of El Fuerte, which claims to be the inspiration for that legendary hero of multiple Hollywood films, Zorro

Bullet Train (2022) -:- Unlucky US assassin Ladybug is given a simple mission - retrieve a metal briefcase on a high-speed train departing from Tokyo. The pick-up is too easy, and Ladybug, together with other killers, soon discover their missions have something in common. Director David Leitch's comedy thriller, starring Brad Pitt, Joey King and Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Coastal Railways with Julie Walters -:- The actress travels from Cardigan Bay to Liverpool, visiting the heritage railway in Tywyn that was the inspiration for Thomas the Tank Engine and a community that is famous for knitting. She also paints a carriage in Boston Lodge, catches the famous Ffestiniog railway through Snowdonia, and visits Europe's fastest zip wire and largest pet cemetery

David Suchet on the Orient Express -:- The Poirot star rides the famous train through Europe, discovering some of the real-life dramas the Orient Express has witnessed over the years, including the time Hitler made the French surrender in one of its carriages. Mingling with fellow passengers and staff, he looks back on the train's rich history from its inaugural trip in 1883 - and realises a childhood dream when he is allowed to drive it

Destroyed in Seconds -:- A race car loses control at 150mph, a biplane crashes into a crowded lake, trains slam into trucks, and a wall falls on a worker. Presented by Ron Pitts

Driving The Train 1959 -:- Instructional film on driving diesel trains

Fringe -:- A train station is devastated by an explosion, but the team's investigations find no trace of what might have caused it - until Walter and Astrid examine the human remains, putting them on the trail of a classified military project in Iraq. Starring Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble and Jasika Nicole

Great Australian Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo crosses the south east of Australia from Canberra, the seat of government, to the multi-ethnic heart of its second largest city, Melbourne. Floating above Canberra in a hot-air balloon, Michael sees how Australia's 'Bush Capital' was planned in the early 20th century and tours the nation's Parliament. He takes the high-speed train nearly 300 miles south west, to arrive in Melbourne at the head of Port Philip Bay on Australia's south-eastern coast

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo continues his journey through East Anglia, where he discovers the Essex origins of the BBC and joins the Women's Land Army to pick damsons at Tiptree

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo embarks on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland from Co Kerry to the city of Galway. On the first leg, he travels from Killarney to Cobh, sampling 19th-century delicacies and exploring a stunning landscape that achieved fame due to rails and royals

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo embarks on the final leg of his journey through the Republic of Ireland, travelling from Athlone to Galway. Along the way he examines historic jewellery with royal connections, encounters a people's king and meets up with a traditional Irish singing group

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo embarks on the next stage of his journey in which he travels from the naval hub of Portsmouth to Grimsby docks. On the first leg, he helps feed the crew of Britain's newest battleship, discovers how the Victorians planned to repel a possible French invasion and learns there is a well-established industry in an unlikely location

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo explores East Anglia between the wars, beginning at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, where archaeologists discovered a 27-metre-long Anglo-Saxon ship in 1939. In the Essex village of Dedham, he unearths a nasty brush between painters, with art experts explaining the antipathy between traditional artist Alfred Munnings and the modern art school established in the village by Cedric Morris

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo explores the scenery of rural and coastal Scotland as he travels from Stirling to John O'Groats. On the first leg of his journey, he learns about a Scottish hero, visits a Highland Games and discovers how an impressive piece of Victorian engineering ended in tragedy

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo explores the West Country between the wars, setting off from the Cornish seaside resort of St Ives and ending his first in the former mining village of St Day

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo follows in the footsteps of engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel as he travels from London to Newton Abbot in Devon. He begins by taking a trip from Paddington station to Warminster in Wiltshire, along the way learning about a Victorian asylum, giving a historic horse a facelift and making malt the 19th-century way

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo heads for Farnborough, Hampshire, famous today for its airshow and home to what was then the Royal Aircraft Establishment. In Basingstoke he visits a glorious neo-Gothic stately home set in the North Wessex Downs

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo heads for the Hertfordshire village of Perry Green to learn about Henry Moore became one of the defining artists of British modernism. In Cambridge, he revisits his former university to hear about a treacherous time in its past

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo is at Elgin's port, the coastal town of Lossiemouth, where the Labour Party's first prime minister James Ramsay MacDonald was born. Nearby, Michael finds a remote boarding school established in the 1930s and famous today both for its unusual ideas and its royal former pupils. His penultimate stop is Inverness, where he uncovers the work of female photographer MEM Donaldson, who documented a Highland way of life that was rapidly disappearing. Michael's journey ends at Loch Ness, where he joins a Deep Scan research team scouring the deep for signs of the elusive monster

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo is in Suffolk on the last leg of his 1930s Bradshaw's inspired tour of East Anglia, visiting the racecourse at Newmarket and the Roman Catholic shrine at Walsingham

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo journeys from Dufftown to Aviemore, learning how Victorian whisky trains were raided by robbers. He also travels along one of Scotland's most impressive viaducts and discovers that life is not always sweet on a shortbread production line

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo learns how the railways helped to make Birmingham the pen-making capital of the world, hears the chilling tale of one of 19th-century Britain's most notorious murderers and samples delicacies concocted in a Victorian kitchen at Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo reaches Bodmin en route to Totnes, as he explores the West Country from St Ives to Salisbury Plain. Out on the rugged moor, Michael hears how the celebrated author Daphne du Maurier captivated readers between the wars with her tales of smuggling at the Jamaica Inn. In Devon, Michael takes the plunge at Plymouth's beautiful art deco Tinside Lido, while at Ivybridge, he boards a vehicle like no other to cross the causeway to Burgh Island, where a 1930s playboy built a splendid art deco party palace

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo resumes his tour of the Home Counties in the historic town of Guildford. Later, in Chilworth, he follows his 1936 Bradshaw's guide to Newlands Corner on the slopes of the North Downs. Eventually he crosses into Hampshire to reach Aldershot

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo's Bradshaw travels resume in leafy Hertfordshire, where he attempts a canoe slalom course at the Lee Valley White Water Centre, built for the London Olympics in 2012. Travelling north, the presenter reaches Hatfield and the country estate of the queen of romance and author of 723 books, Barbara Cartland. In Stevenage, Michael learns how, in 1935, a new enterprise boosted production of the nation's daily loaf with a factory in the town.

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo starts off in Exmouth on the final leg of his journey to Newton Abbot. Along the way, he goes out to sea with an RNLI lifeboat crew, visits a stormy coastal railway and has an encounter with his boyhood hero

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo starts off in Invergordon on the final leg of his journey to John O'Groats. Along the way, he learns how one man's vision helped bring train travel to the Highlands, discovers how farming has changed since Bradshaw's day and hears the remarkable tale of Scotland's Victorian gold rush

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Charleville, Co Cork, to the city of Waterford, along the way finding out about the ancient art of making butter, attempting to learn the basics of Ireland's oldest game, and riding on the Duke of Devonshire's Victorian railway

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Dudley in the West Midlands to Bridgnorth, Shropshire. He learns how Victorian blacksmithing was not for the faint-hearted, rides on one of Britain's most modern trains and traverses the Victoria Bridge at Bewdley in Worcestershire

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from London's King's Cross to Peterborough and discovers how a derelict part of the capital is being rejuvenated. He also puts in a shift at a Cambridgeshire brick factory and meets members of an immigrant community linked to it

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Newbridge in Co Kildare to Roscrea, North Tipperary, visiting the Irish National Stud in Tully, discovering how harsh life was for the Irish poor and investigating an astronomical feat of Victorian engineering

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Salisbury in Wiltshire to Castle Cary, Somerset, visiting a world-famous tourist spot that has been captivating visitors since the Victorian era. He also takes to the air in Yeovil and tries his hand at clothmaking the 19th-century way

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Spalding to Grimsby, along the way learning about how Lincolnshire farmers utilised the railway to improve their harvests, visiting the impressive cathedral in Lincoln and looking to the future of rail freight

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Stoke-on-Trent to Winsford, Cheshire, finding out about one of the greatest locomotive factories in railway history along the way. He also discovers the dark side of the Industrial Revolution and learns how Victorian potteries brought their products to the masses

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Victoria station to Abbey Wood in south-east London. Along the way he learns how volunteer Victorian firefighters liked a tipple, discovers that 19th-century sewage pumps were a marvel of design and puts in a shift at the oldest fish market in Britain

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Welshpool, Powys, to Aberystwyth in Ceredigion. He experiences Victorian entertainment in one of Wales's best-loved resorts, hears how the railways took the country's textiles into the most exclusive households and unleashes the power of a 19th-century engineering triumph

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Woking in Surrey to Clapham Junction in south London. Along the way he gets close to some precious Victorian botany at Kew Gardens, tries his hand at croquet and discovers a very surprising 19th-century place of worship

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo visits Cornwall's county town, Truro, heading to the historic estate of Trewithen, whose gardens were stocked from China by professional plant hunters commissioned by its owner. The Atlantic Coast branch line carries Michael north to Newquay, where he discovers a pioneering surfer and braves the waves on a belly board. In the nearby village of St Mawgan, Michael is introduced to the ancient Cornish sport of 'wrassling', which surged in popularity between the wars as part of a Cornish Celtic revival

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo visits Crewe, a town steeped in railway history, to investigate the making of cinema classic The Night Mail during the 1930s. He then heads to Chester to discover the interwar origins of Britain's most popular zoo, then goes across the border to the Welsh village of Gresford, scene of one of Britain's worst mining disasters

Great British Railway Journeys -:- On the next leg of his journey from Co Kerry to Galway, Michael Portillo travels from the city of Kilkenny to Athy in Co Kildare. Along the way he tries his hand at cutting marble in the Victorian style, uncovers 19th-century Ireland's surprising industrial heritage and learns how the railways helped bring motorsport to the masses

Great British Railway Journeys -:- On the penultimate leg of his journey from Stirling to John O'Groats, Michael Portillo travels from Inverness to Plockton. Along the way he rides on one of the country's most picturesque railways, visits Scotland's smallest station and learns what a spa break in the Victorian era comprised

Great British Railway Journeys -:- On the penultimate leg of his journey Michael Portillo travels from Lynton to Exeter. He gets up close to a piece of natural history, visits a garden used as a viewing platform for public hangings and examines a timepiece like no other

Great British Railway Journeys -:- On the second leg of his journey from Stirling to John O'Groats, Michael Portillo travels from Dundee to Aberdeen. Along the way he learns how Queen Victoria used to hide from her subjects and discovers why some factory workers went deaf

Great British Railway Journeys -:- On the third leg of his journey from London to Newton Abbot, Michael Portillo travels from Taunton to Minehead. Along the way he explores a church, finds out just what it takes to operate a 19th-century signal box and summons all his strength to move a 110-ton steam locomotive

How to Fix a Railway -:- Behind the scenes over a three-year period with Wales's newest rail body as staff try to make ambitious promises a reality. From the boardroom to the platform, the programme features those trying to win hearts, minds and more customers, and all in the middle of a pandemic that has knocked public transport for six. Can the plans still be delivered on time?

How Trains Changed the World -:- How trains have seemingly changed the way people see the world - and each other, examining what it is that makes them so special

Impossible Engineering -:- The creation of Hudson Yards on Manhattan Island, New York, a construction project built over the tracks and railway sidings of Penn Station - literally in thin air

Japan Railway Journal -:- Discover the secrets of Japan's railways, from the newest technologies and systems in use to travel tips and must-see places.

Japan Railway Journal -:- In 2020, Tokyu Corporation's The Royal Express began running on JR Hokkaido - and it has been gaining attention ever since. See why and how Tokyu's luxury tourist train started operating in Hokkaido.

Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh -:- Actor Duncan Preston and musical theatre star Bonnie Langford join the host at Manor Farm, while Alan meets four of Britain's most heroic hounds, takes a tour of an award-winning model railway set, and samples some Alice in Wonderland-inspired Mad March cocktails

Massive Engineering Mistakes -:- Once considered the eighth Wonder of the World, the Kinzua Bridge was the longest railway bridge in the world. But, a freak tornado destroyed it - why did it fall?

Mega Shippers -:- Kieran struggles to get a 26-tonne train rolling for the first time in 60 years. Plus, Colin has 48 hours to load ten valuable racing yachts

Night Mail (1936) -:- Harry Watt and Basil Wright's documentary following the mail train to Scotland from London, accompanied by Pat Jackson reading WH Auden's rhyming verse and a score composed by Benjamin Britten

Oli Wyn -:- The crew prepares the train for its next trip

Paddington Station 24/7 -:- A look at how the festive period affects regular operations at the station, with staff calling in the help of some reindeer and a white owl to get passengers in the mood of the season. Up the line, engineers are working on one of the most important projects of this year's Christmas works - laying a whole new track system outside Oxford Station. Although there is no regular train service at Paddington, staff still need to be on duty on Christmas Day, but they take advantage of the lack of customers by having a rare sit-down lunch together

Paddington Station 24/7 -:- News of a major incident comes through to Swindon control room, with a fatality on the line at Slough station leading to a line closure to allow for the emergency services. In another incident, mobile operations manager George goes to meet the owner of a scrapyard, which has fallen victim to thieves who have stolen thousands of pounds' worth of goods and used the railway track to get away

Secrets of the Underground -:- A legendary train filled with stolen Nazi gold is said to be hidden in Poland. Rob and Stefan explore deep under the earth's surface to uncover the truth

Susan Calman's Grand Day Out -:- The presenter and her campervan Helen are heading back to an old favourite - Yorkshire. However, Susan finds that the dales and moors contain a few spots she hasn't explored - and a few surprises that are a joy to discover. Oakworth Station is one such place - home to a still functioning steam railway, it's the train station where the 1970s classic The Railway Children was filmed

The Architecture the Railways Built -:- Tim Dunn discovers how railway architecture has been repurposed. He starts with Manchester's Castlefield area, where viaducts still dominate the cityscape

The Architecture the Railways Built -:- Tim goes deep beneath the waves to explore the Channel Tunnel, stopping off at Ashford International to take in this underappreciated piece of 90s railway architecture

The Railways That Built Britain with Chris Tarrant -:- Chris examines the devastating impact of the Beeching report, which led to half the country's stations and almost a third of the lines being closed. He also looks at how the railways were reinvented for the modern age, and how a sleek new locomotive not only saved the railway network, but reshaped the country

The Railways That Built Britain with Chris Tarrant -:- The broadcaster examines how trains transformed the nation and shaped modern Britain. He begins in the cab of Puffing Billy, the world's oldest-surviving steam locomotive, which was built in 1813 and designed to move coal along a five-mile stretch of track from a Northumberland mine to the docks. Chris also tells the story of Henry Booth, who not only championed George Stephenson's famous Rocket, but also helped finance it, and talks about the work of the navvies who dug the tunnels and laid the tracks

The Railways That Built Britain with Chris Tarrant -:- The broadcaster examines the role of the railways during the two global conflicts of the 20th century, keeping vital supply lines open and transporting troops to and from the front. In the First World War, railway works were converted into munitions factories and women were employed for these dangerous jobs and their heroic efforts helped win them the vote, while in the Second World War, they were vital in organising the evacuation of a million children and offered underground shelters from air raids

The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard -:- A summer heatwave brings record numbers to the railway, though joy turns to despair for the staff when it looks like the railway will be prevented from running its iconic steam engines through a tinder-dry national park. Through a series of expensive preventative measures - including hiring in a couple of heritage diesel trains and having a makeshift fire truck follow every engine - boss Chris manages to keep the business running. The engine shed workers are also kept busy trying to get star locomotive Eric steaming again

The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard -:- Preparations are under way for Yorkshire Day, including a special Yorkshire-themed Pullman service, with Gill and husband Paul getting hands-on sorting out the event. There is also another big occasion on the horizon and Tim is organising the wedding of head boilersmith Mark and his equally steam-mad fiancée Emma. Their love blossomed because of mutual passion for steam, and in particular the B1, so they want the engine to pull them on their wedding train, but issues with the engine means it might miss the big day

The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard -:- The annual Gala Festival is staged, showcasing steam engines from up and down the country. As part of the events, the North York Moors Railway has agreed to swap its precious 100-year-old Q6 engine, the last example in the world, with an engine from the Severn Valley heritage railway. However, there is a problem as the Q6 is undergoing a two-year overhaul and is not ready. A crack has been found in the engine box, and there is no specialist steam copper welder available at short notice to fix it. If the Q6 cannot be sent to the Severn Valley, the entire festival may be ruined

The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard -:- The three-day autumn Steam Gala takes place on the North York Moors Railway, and the organisers try to bag an amazing locomotive as this year's 'celebrity guest'. The event is RAF-themed, so engine shed boss Piglet heads to the Nene Valley in Cambridgeshire to check out a 92 Squadron engine, known in its day as a 'spam cam' due to its memorable design. Meanwhile, Kieran and signalman Alistair are tasked with creating a heritage freight train that is a popular feature of the gala

The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard -:- Under pressure to bring in extra revenue now that the somewhat challenging season is nearing its end, the North York Moors Railway team decides to put on a special 'curry train' night together with a massive bash for Halloween. Visitors and staff alike put in the effort to make it a night to remember, though proceedings are threatened when the lights in the carriages suddenly stop working. The Bishop of Wakefield comes to bless Eric Treacy, an engine that has been through a £500,000 overhaul taking over two years

The Yorkshire Steam Railway: All Aboard -:- War Weekend takes place on the North York Moors Railway, celebrating the part played by the railways during the Second World War, with around 30,000 visitors expected to attend. As it turns out, the biggest battle of the weekend is with the weather, as a storm blights the final preparations. Further complications arise when a tree falls on the line, leading to a full track inspection before any trains are allowed to run. Despite the setbacks, can the team pull off one of their biggest, most important and lucrative events of the year?

Train Truckers -:- Heavy haulage experts Ian Bagladi and Jamie Turnbull need to move a classical but abandoned 63-year-old, 70-tonne locomotive, through the English countryside

Train Truckers -:- Kevin Norris and Kieran Chisnall move three state-of-the-art trains, fresh in from Japan. They need to transport them from the North East port of Redcar to a factory in Doncaster

Train Truckers -:- The crew visits Germany to collect a multi-million-pound maintenance machine so large it will need to be loaded onto two trucks. Eric and Chris oversee a diesel-engine exchange

Train Truckers -:- Zak and Alex face a four-day mission to deliver a pair of classic steam locomotives for an Autumn Steam Gala at the Mid Hants Railway in Hampshire

Transsiberian (2008) -:- American couple Roy and Jessie are heading from China to Moscow on the Transsiberian railway when they befriend fellow travellers Carlos and Abby. However, when Roy fails to board the train following a station stop, Jessie begins to suspect her new travelling companions are harbouring a deadly secret. Thriller, starring Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega and Ben Kingsley

Union Pacific (1939) -:- The overseer of a railway construction falls for a woman who is secretly involved with someone else, leading to tense confrontations and soul searching as the love triangle develops further. Melodrama, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Robert Preston, Akim Tamiroff and Antony Quinn

Wild Wind (1985) -:- During the Second World War, a special Allied unit is formed to destroy a Nazi armoured train that has been terrorising the Yugoslavian countryside. Adventure, starring Jay North, George Montgomery and Dusan Janicijevic

World's Busiest Train Stations -:- A look behind the scenes at some of the most famous railway stations in cities around the world, catching up with staff, maintenance crews, passengers and transport police. The first episode focuses on Grand Central and Penn stations in New York, and features a terminal manager coping with a series of crises and a police officer and her dog on the hunt for explosive devices

World's Busiest Train Stations -:- Behind the scenes at Flinders Street station in Melbourne, which is not just the busiest and oldest in Australia, but in the whole of the southern hemisphere. The start of the Australian Open tennis tournament means that many more passengers than usual are expected, while the control room braces itself for even more trouble after trespassers are spotted walking on a busy line

World's Busiest Train Stations -:- Behind the scenes at Howrah Terminal in Calcutta, which is the busiest station in India and serves one of the fastest growing cities on Earth. Monday morning rush hour sees ticket inspector Pranab braving a tide of morning commuters pouring out from the platforms as he seeks out fare dodgers, while a signal failure halts the progress of the most prestigious service on the entire Indian network in the form of the Rajdhani Express, the luxury overnight train from Calcutta to Delhi

World's Busiest Train Stations -:- Behind the scenes at Zurich Hauptbahnhof, which is the busiest railway hub in Europe and also one of the most punctual, with 90 per cent of its 3,000 trains a day running on time. In the control room, Mario has to react when a cargo of sausages spills onto the mainline, blocking commuter services and Germany-bound trains. Transport police officer Virginia heads out to respond to a late-night emergency when a brawl breaks out at a nearby station after an outdoor party is cancelled at the last moment

SMALL PRINT

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©  Matthew Shaw 2023