British Transport Films Collection

Work in Progress Under the River (4x1)

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A swift journey across Britain reveals some of the changes taking place under the British Transport Commission's plan for an improved transport system. At Woodhead a century-old tunnel is being replaced by a new one, where a single electric locomotive will soon replace the work of up to four steam engines on the heavy coal trains across the backbone of England. Further north, Argyllshire is the scene of an experiment in a co-ordinated road haulage service. At Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire the marshalling of wagons is being speeded by radio communications; while in Bristol bus operators are analysing the problems of congestion that beset most modern cities. Between Calais and Dover, the Golden Arrow steamer, running into mid-Channel fog, is brought safely into harbour by radar.