Paddington Station 24/7 - Episode Guide

A train loses power, causing delays all the way from the North east to the capital. The team at the Rail Operating Centre must work the problem to get the vital network running again.

The London Fire Brigade are called when a passenger falls between the platform and a departing train, Aria the hawk is put to work frightening away scavenging pigeons and a tube strike hits the capital resulting in lots of passengers arriving late for their trains.

Michael responds to a report of a suspicious bag, Mel's quick thinking reunites a split-up family in Leeds, and driver Lee gets his hands on one of Virgin's new Azuma trains that will come into service in 2018.

Christmas holiday plans are knocked off course when a person is hit by a train near Doncaster, Christmas Eve heralds the start of an ambitious programme of engineering works and train guard Matt shares some stories about his family's long association with the railways.

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, suspected drug users and an electrocuted pigeon.

A fire alarm leads to the station being evacuated, safety checks to the tunnels below the station reveal some fascinating secrets and soaring temperatures threaten to derail the Bank Holiday getaway.

Signal problems lead to a restricted service during rush hour, which causes severe congestion at the station. Twenty four hours later, the same signal causes more problems, which leads to the complete suspension of the line. And a team of engineers try to replace 60 feet of track in just four hours.

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 on the line, and 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.

When the Beast from the East and storm Emma collide, Paddington's managers debate whether to close the station completely, something that has happened on very few occassions since World War II. There is excitement among the staff as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle board a train to Cardiff, but a rail defect at Didcot threatens to upset their journey.

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 an 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 at Paddington. A Thai pricess and her entourage are eager for a tour of the station. Thieves have robbed a scrapyard 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 Platform 5 which is used by numerous 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 dangerously close to the edge of the platform.

As Storm Eleanor strikes a fly-away plastic bag causes a power outage trapping three trains, in Hungerford a falling tree hits a Penzance-bound service, and engineers work through the night to fix a crack that has been discovered in a set of points near Oxford.

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 network. Emma uses thermal imaging to inspect the lines for defects from a helicopter. Mark must evict a Traveller community from Network Rail-owned land.

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

The wedding of the year is fast approaching, and rail staff have their work cut out to get the station ready for the arrival of thousands of royal fans. From crowd control barriers to decorative bunting, there is plenty to be done, and security will be paramount.

An intruder puts his life at risk by running along the tracks. Engineers work around the clock to install new cables at Newbury. Ticket machine refurbishments do not go to plan.

A heatwave hits the network hard, with signalling equipment out at Didcot, rails in need of stretching in London, and a surfeit of insects overworking trains' windscreen wipers.

The British Transport Police mount a special operation to stop criminals who are running drugs out of the capital. A crack has been discovered on a rail joint at Acton East - if it snaps, it could be fatal. At Paddington, a passenger has fallen between the train and the platform, while at Bristol, a BTP officer must talk down a potentially suicidal woman.

A nasty surprise awaits engineers as they discover rotten wooden sleepers that disintegrate under foot. Even veteran train staff are shocked by the reason the 15:00 to Bristol has come to a halt - a driver tried to start the train from the wrong end.

Weekend works at Acton have overrun, a lorry rips the safety barriers off a level crossing as it runs the lights, and 'the flying banana' trails for defects.

Huge delays occur after a man is hit by a train at Southall. Train enthusiasts descend on Paddington to get a glimpse of the world-famous Flying Scotsman.

Swindon control discovers an intoxicated man running around the tracks, forcing them to shut the line. Engineers at Cowley Bridge near Exeter insert 24 huge culverts to ease flooding there. In Paddington, a drink-addled dentist is convinced he has left his bag on a train.

A trespasser on the relief lines outside of London forces the cancellation of all trains leaving Paddington and disrupts the bank holiday works schedule.

Swindon control jump into action when an unexploded WWII bomb is found near the line in Teignmouth, transport police seek a word with a man who jumped onto the track to retrieve something he dropped, and team leader Martyn reveals the high cost of cleaning up graffiti.

Station assistant Richard handles a medical emergency that may not be what it seems, engineers work round the clock to finish before bad weather hits, and the staff sit down for a Christmas lunch - of curry!

Cheltenham races sees thousands of extra passengers arrive - many of whom fancy an early morning tipple - while chaos ensues when a passenger chases a fraudster round the station, accusing him of selling her out-of-date football tickets. In Swindon, the control room staff hear that heavy rainfall might cause flooding and block the mainline to Cornwall - leaving them facing a big decision.

The summer heat has caused a points failure at Didcot, leaving the Paddington team anxious that the problem gets resolved in time for rush hour. British Transport Police are not impressed when a young man jumps onto the tracks to retrieve a sleeping bag seconds before a 400 ton train rolls by, while in Teignmouth, the line has to be closed when an unexploded Second World War bomb is discovered just over 200m from the station.

Autumn gets off to a wet start when the roof of Paddington begins to leak during torrential rainfall, and with gales of up to 90mph, Network Rail staff brace themselves as a storm closes in on the UK. A flyaway plastic bag causes a loss of power, trapping three trains and disrupting Paddington's peak service. Mobile operations manager Jane is called out when a van hits a low-level bridge, while British Transport Police in Bristol Temple Meads get more than they bargained for when they search a teenager suspected of using drugs on board a train.

The station shuts for four days over the Christmas holidays, though staff are still needed on site as they face the disruption of track and engineering works. Up the line at Oxford, workers are laying a whole new track system. Luckily, they have the Kirow Crane to help them - a multi-million-pound lifting machine that can lay over 100 tonnes of track at a time. At Swindon, specialists work to install 30 new booms to support the overhead lines for a new generation of electric trains. Weighing up to 15 tonnes, they need to be carefully lifted into place. However, bad weather threatens progress.

The return of the documentary going behind the scenes at the London station. It is the height of summer and staff and passengers on the Western network are feeling the heat, with Network Rail staff positioned at key points to monitor the track - which can reach temperatures up to 20C higher than the air temperature.

The station gets back to the new normal, as Covid-19 restrictions ease on travel. Route Control keep a close eye on the weather forecast, which is predicting dangerously high winds. It's not just fallen trees the team needs to be worried about - a large industrial unit has been blown right across the tracks and emergency services are on their way.

A passenger drops her overnight bag on the tracks and threatens to jump down to retrieve it, while a major power cut at Maidenhead has caused signalling to fail on all the tracks, including the main line into Paddington. At Great Western Railway's Long Rock Depot, the famed Night Riviera sleeper service departs once more after a three-month suspension due to the pandemic, but with radical changes.

A major track circuit failure results in the closure of one of the busiest platforms and the technicians trying to fix the problem race against time to complete the job before rush hour begins. Staff and passengers are excited about the arrival of a West Country heritage steam train, while reports come into Route Control at Swindon of a very serious incident of suspected track sabotage.

Staff at Bristol Temple Meads have their work cut out as they prepare for the station's 180th birthday celebration, while Slough station is evacuated when a suspicious package is found underneath a stairwell. At Paddington, there is a commotion on Platform 12 as staff attempt to find the source of a fire alarm before the station's automatic evacuation message is activated.

The Wales football team receive the VIP treatment as they travel to Paddington for a friendly with England. Storm Alex hits the network hard with the wettest day on record, and the just-completed sea wall at Dawlish faces its toughest test yet.

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, while a failed freight train requires a rescue locomotive as delays and cancellations stack up at Paddington.

A high-speed train comes to an abrupt halt in the station as there are fears it has collided with something on the track. In Swindon's route control, staff are dealing with the knock-on effect of an incident on a level-crossing, while a major points failure jeopardises the afternoon peak-time services.