World's Busiest Railway 2015 (BBC2, 9pm)

FED up of the jostling to get off a busy train at Kings Cross? Try being one of the staff and passengers who use Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. This iconic station, which was the location for the filming of the Jai Ho song in Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, sees more than 1,500 trains pull in and out of its 18 platforms each day, on local and long distance routes.

Without the railways, modern India simply wouldn't exist, and over 24 hours more people travel on the suburban network in the mega-city of Mumbai than travel on the whole of the UK rail network.

In this new four-part series, Dan Snow, Anita Rani and Robert Llewellyn and John Sergeant go behind the scenes witnessing the 'everyday miracle' at CST, and reveal the science, systems and staff responsible for keeping this supersized transport system running to schedule.

With access to control rooms and signal boxes, driver's cabs and engineering workshops, as well as the policemen, porters and dabba wallas who direct, help and feed travellers, the quartet tell the story of the station and its transport challenges.

In this opening episode, Dan, Anita and Robert try commuting Mumbai-style, tackling what is known as "super dense crush load" on the world's busiest commuter trains.

With as many as 14 people packed into a square metre, these trains are more than twice as packed as the most crowded European trains. Passengers hang from the sides of trains and cross the tracks, so they're in for quite a ride.

Then, 2,300km north east of the Indian capital, John Sergeant is in the foothills of the Himalayas, to ride Darjeeling's steam powered hill railway.

He reminisces about a more romantic age of rail travel and reveals the historical connection between tea and trains.

Robert heads up into mission control for the station – the control room – to explain how the Train Management System programmes safe routes for all 1,500 daily trains through the station's complex mesh of tracks.

And the cameras are on board with the astonishing dabba wallahs – a crack team of couriers who deliver 200,000 home-cooked lunches to offices all over Mumbai. With an error rate of one in 16 million, their system is rated as one of the most efficient in the world.

The BBC are all over India at the moment, and this show forms part of a major season of programmes across TV and radio dedicated to one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. The season celebrates of the richness of the landscape and people of the country as well as its culture, art, business and politics.

Kim Shillinglaw, controller of BBC2 and BBC4, says: ""On BBC2, we'll be taking viewers from the absolute highlights of India's natural world to the inner workings of one of the biggest rail hubs on the planet."

Soup Cans & Superstars: How Pop Art Changed the World (BBC4, 9pm)

A SHORT season focusing on the pop art movement gets under way with this documentary. Alastair Sooke casts his expert eye over its history, paying particular attention to its legends – Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein – as well as other pioneers who have made significant contributions to its success. Broadcast immediately afterwards is Derek Boshier trying to answer the question What Do Artists Do All Day? More programmes in the season will be featured on TV and online.

Muslim Drag Queens (C4, 10pm)

IAN McKellen narrates this First Cut documentary providing unprecedented insight into the UK's clandestine gay Asian community, which provides a vital lifeline and haven for young men who are unable to publicly reconcile their sexuality with their cultural identity and traditions. The film focuses on the stories of three of the 100 to 150 Muslim drag queens who face the seemingly insurmountable challenge of gaining acceptance and tolerance within their own communities.