This case originated outside of a webform submission and does not have a summary
Request ID: FOI-0214-2223 Date published: 07 June 2022
You asked
“Thank you for passing this on. It is good to know from TfL that “ventilation has been identified as a key factor in mitigating the risk of coronavirus, particularly in indoor spaces.”
In light of this identification I hope will allow me, in the interest of transparency and lesson-learning should the pandemic worsen or recur, to ask TfL to publish the reviews mentioned here: “All of our existing ventilation systems in both public and non-public areas, vehicles and buildings – and across all transport modes – have been reviewed against the available advice.”
We answered
TfL Ref: 0214-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28 April 2022 asking for information about the reviews to the ventilation systems.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked: It is good to know from TfL that ventilation has been identified as a key factor in mitigating the risk of coronavirus, particularly in indoor spaces. In light of this identification in the interest of transparency and lesson-learning should the pandemic worsen or recur, to ask TfL to publish the reviews mentioned here: “All of our existing ventilation systems in both public and non-public areas, vehicles and buildings – and across all transport modes – have been reviewed against the available advice.” As such, 1) Are the reviews mentioned formal and able to be published? And 2) Does TfL have any plans to publish the reviews?
TfL has carried out a number of reviews of existing ventilation systems across our transport modes and presented this to the Senior Executive Committee Team (SET) which was specifically formed to provide agile decision making during the Covid period. Please see the attached two documents that relate to airborne transmission and ventilation.
Please note that in accordance with TfL’s obligations under the Data Protection legislation some personal data has been removed, as required by Regulation 13 of the Environmental Information Regulations. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the legislation, specifically the first principle of the legislation, which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions of Schedule 2 which would make the processing ‘fair’.
We also carried out an engineering assessment on the ventilation provision on our Tube trains to ensure we achieved the minimum ventilation rates recommended by SAGE/rail industry bodies (RSSB (Rail Safety and Standards Board) of 6-12 air changes per hour [ACH]). The air inside a Tube carriage changes more than 20 times every hour, which is greater than the recommended 6-12 times per hour. We have published this assessment in relation to another information request and it is available on our website here: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-0219-2122. I have also attached a copy here for ease.
A number of other reviews were carried out by educational establishments such as Leeds University and UCL on the risk of Covid-19 infection on public transport which you may be interested in – these are available using the following links and cover both the tube and buses:
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
