The 15 Billion Pound Railway

The 15 Billion Pound Railway (2014-2022)

EndedDocumentary show

Ten thousand engineers and construction workers fight to stop London's streets caving in or snarling up with traffic as they race to complete Crossrail in time for the first train.

Network
Scheduleevery Sunday at 20:00 (60 min)

Last Episode

Episode 2
Season 4Episode 260 min

Episode 2

We follow 83-year-old site manager Jim Forrest – one of the oldest engineers on the project. He joined the Whitechapel Station build in 2009 and has seen it from tunnel boring and concrete pouring to constructing the station steel works and vital fit-out works. In order to open the station, Jim and the team must ensure it's safe in the event of a fire – learning the lessons of the 1987 King's Cross fire. They must conduct a crucial smoke trial on the platform to test the ventilation systems can extract huge amount of smoke should a fire break out. An overlooked detail in this phase could become a matter of life and death when the railway opens. 

Before any station on the line can open to the public, the railway must undergo a series of critical safety trials to judge whether Elizabeth line staff are ready to respond in the event of an emergency – from passengers falling sick on a train to the handling of a reported fire. 

We follow Lewis George and Rebecca Edwards, who are in charge of the trials and must coordinate the railway's largest evacuation trial involving 900 volunteers as they're rescued from a train in the tunnels and evacuated from Canary Wharf station – one of the largest central stations. If staff can't evacuate passengers safely, the teams could face more delays to the opening of the railway.

The end of the film sees the Queen visit Paddington Station and goes behind the scenes as the grand opening day of the Elizabeth line finally arrives, attended by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, TFL commissioner Andy Byford, Crossrail CEO Mark Wild and more than 130,000 eager passengers and train enthusiasts jostling to board the first train services to depart. As the first train leaves Paddington, we check in with the men and women who helped build the line and featured across past series – station by station.

Juni 19, 2022

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
S04E02Episode 2Juni 19, 2022
S04E01Episode 1Juni 12, 2022
S03E02Episode 2Feb. 20, 2019
S03E01Episode 1Feb. 13, 2019
S02E02Episode 2Mai 29, 2017
View all episodesView all seasons

Cast

View all cast

Characters

View all characters

Also known as

  • The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway
  • London's Super Tunnel (Australia)

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
The Repair Shop
Running

The Repair Shop

The Repair Shop is a workshop of dreams, where broken or damaged cherished family heirlooms are brought back to life.

Furniture restorers, horologists, metal workers, ceramicists, upholsterers and all manner of skilled craftsmen and women have been brought together to work in one extraordinary space, restoring much-loved possessions to their former glory.

Many of these items have incredible stories behind them and a unique place in history: from an accordion played in the Blitz by a woman who is now in her 90s, to a beautifully crafted clock made by a father who was completely blind; a Pinball machine that is currently being used as a kitchen counter, and a Davenport desk with its trademark fake drawers which fooled burglars - and their crowbar.

The Repair Shop is an antidote to our throwaway culture and shines a light on the wonderful treasures to be found in homes across the country.

Going Dutch
Running

Going Dutch

In Going Dutch a decorated, hard-ass colonel is tasked with running the least important U.S. Army base in the world, located in the tulip-hugging, wine-chugging Netherlands.

GenreComedy
Harley Quinn
Running

Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn, based on the DC characters, focuses on Harley Quinn who has finally broken things off once and for all with the Joker and attempts to make it on her own as the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City. The series features Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and a whole cast of heroes and villains, old and new, from the DC Universe.

The Real Housewives of Potomac
Running

The Real Housewives of Potomac

Just up the river from our nation's capital lies a hidden gem—Potomac, Maryland. Its rolling hills, gated mansions, sophisticated prep schools, and exclusive country clubs all serve to keep the area invitation-only. Sprinkled throughout this community are a handful of old-line, wealthy African-American families who have historically broken racial barriers to provide a life of privilege for their children. The Real Housewives of Potomac follows the upscale lives of six intriguing, well-to-do women: Gizelle Bryant, Katie Rost, Karen Huger, Charrisse Jackson-Jordan, Robyn Dixon, and Ashley Darby, all of whom have fought for their places in this society by way of legacy or marriage. In a town where entry is granted only through class, pedigree, and lineage, how far will these ladies go to secure their spot at the top of this prestigious circle?

The Traitors
Running

The Traitors

Set in a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands and based on the wildly popular Dutch series of the same name, 5-time Emmy-nominated Alan Cumming plays host to twenty larger-than-life personalities (including reality A-listers and America's best game players) who come together to complete a series of challenges with the objective of earning a cash prize of up to $250,000. The catch? Three of the contestants coined "the traitors" will devise a plan to steal the prize from the other contestants coined "the faithful".