Channel 5 Building The Panama Canal (2012) 720p Hdtv X264 Aac Mvgroup

The Panama Canal is already the busiest in the Americas, with 200 million tons of cargo passing through it every year. Now a $5 billion expansion project is set to double its capacity, giving a new lease of life to this vital transport artery. The canal will soon allow ships over a third of a kilometre long to make the journey between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in just 8 hours.

Documentary following engineers and designers as they construct the liner Seven Seas Explorer. The aim of cruise boss Frank Del Rio is to make it the most luxurious ship of its type, designed to convey 750 passengers when others of its size would hold 5,000.

Reveals the engineering secrets behind Montreal's Samuel de Champlain Bridge, enabling it to carry one million vehicles every week and survive extreme temperature fluctuations. Super-strong expansion joints flex to allow the bridge's individual deck sections to expand and contract as the temperature varies between -30C in winter and 35C in summer, while pier legs poured from superdense concrete are strong enough to withstand the crushing force of thousands of tons of river ice.

A look at the engineering secrets of Europe's fastest passenger train the Italo AGV, which shuttles more than 450 people between 21 Italian cities at a top speed of 300kph, revealing the six innovations that help complete this mission.

Michael Buerk looks at the transformation of the nation during the Victorian era, telling the surprising stories behind famous landmarks and the hidden heroes behind epic constructions. He begins by revealing how the Victorians created public transport and sewerage systems. Michael Buerk looks at how the Victorians created what is now known as the modern home, exploring the huge rise in house-building during the period. He travels to Fakenham, Norfolk, to visit the last remaining gasworks in England, and discovers how the Victorians mastered the art of producing `town gas" from coal.

Granted special access to the secret workings of the Tube, and with the aid of the London Underground staff who know it best, engineer Rob Bell discovers the fascinating hidden history of how London's iconic metro was built