BBC - The Railway Keeping Britain on Track (2013)Part 5 Railway on My Doorstep

Documentary series which goes behind the scenes of the rail network, revealing the inner workings of one of Britain's biggest and oldest institutions.

Part 5: Railway on My Doorstep

With 20,000 miles of track and seven million neighbours, the railway has to manage its local communities as best it can. Track teams deal with fly tipping and pick up dog mess thrown on the tracl, while the MerseyRail revenue inspectors must try to clamp down on ticket evasion while dealing with drunk passengers. In the Welsh Valleys, a line that was closed in the 1960s has been reopened, helping to regenerate the area. Slovakian Lukas finds that his new job as a train guard not only helps him to become a fully-fledged Welshman but also, he admits, a bit of a trainspotter. But not all communities welcome the railway - when Network Rail wants to close a manned level crossing box in a picturesque village and move it up the line for safety reasons, they have to contend with the locals intent on keeping 'their' level crossing-keeper.

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