Great British Railway Journeys

Michael’s exploration of Essex continues in Romford. He arrives on the London Overground’s Liberty Line to visit a state-of-the-art rail-operating centre responsible for the whole of the East Anglian rail network. He discovers how signallers and operators control the movements of over 4,000 trains a day and learns how they respond to emergencies on the tracks. At Upminster, he finds the gateway to the Chafford Gorges Nature Park, which for centuries was exploited for its natural resources. The former chalk quarries have been transformed into a rare habitat for orchids, and he hears how archaeologists have discovered Neanderthal stone tools in the chalky cliffs. Michael takes a scenic rail journey through the marshy landscape of the Dengie Peninsula to arrive at a marina on the River Blackwater. He makes a choppy crossing to visit the Ross Revenge ship, home to Radio Caroline since the 1980s.