Stations of the cross . . .
TV SHOW FOCUSES ON TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF RAILWAY COMPANY
TRAIN spotters and commuters alike may be interested in a new flyon-the-wall look behind the scenes of a controversial rail company.
The Railway 24/7, which airs tonight, is a new documentary uncovering the trials and tribulations at TransPennine Express, the rail firm linking Huddersfield, Leeds, Manchester and beyond.
Filmed during the well-documented timetable scandals that plagued train firms in the north over the past two years, it shows staff working under intense pressure to keep the trains moving.
And episode one begins with the cameras rolling during one of the busiest times of the year when rail chiefs were faced with delays and cancellations and frontline worker Billy Vickers, one of the stars of the documentary, is facing furious commuters.
In Manchester, outside the Ardwick
depot, a derailment causes an immediate logjam of passengers and Simon Wildgoose and his team must try to jack up the 230-tonne train and clear it from the tracks before the evening rush hour.
While colleagues face issues on the frontline, the episode also shows TransPennine Express accepting its fleet of new Nova trains after investing £500m to transform travel and customer experience across the North.
Liz Collins, Interim Managing Director at TransPennine Express, said: “We wanted to show customers and regular commuters the inner workings behind our operation and so gave the cameras an access all areas pass to film each and every aspect of our business and the wonderful people we have working for us.
“We’re excited to be making our TV debut this Wednesday, we know the documentary will show some high moments, such as accepting Nova, our new fleet of trains, and some challenging moments such as storms, fare-dodgers and trespassers.
“We are looking forward to sharing these moments with viewers and giving an open and honest insight into TransPennine Express.”
The first episode of The Railway 24/7 , made by Blast! Films, will be aired tonight at 9pm on Channel 5, with each subsequent episode shown every Wednesday at the same time.