Hi Transport for London, I write with regards to an observation I made today regarding development at Romford Station, a station I previously frequented for my travels but one I had not been to for a long time due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The observation I made was the installation of platform gates between central platforms 3 and 4, separating the fast Greater Anglia side from the slow TfL Rail side. I am aware that similar gates have been installed at the other eastern TfL Rail stations as a measure of safety and that these gates are usually locked as no trains are ever timetabled to stop on the fast sides of these stations, further increasing safety. Gates were never installed at Romford as this station does have trains scheduled to arrive and depart at all platforms within the station. The installation of platform gates at Romford prompted me to query the future of Greater Anglia services along the TfL Rail route. My query is as follows: 1) Are there proposals in place to axe the 'Romford' stop of some or all of the fast Greater Anglia services that currently serve the station? 1a) If yes, what is the reasoning behind this and has/would the full service of Crossrail influence your decision? 2) Along the eastern TfL Rail route, the fast platforms at stations do not receive any timetabled train services except during disruptions/engineering work. (I am aware that Seven Kings receives one very early morning train for driver's convenience on the fast side). Are there any plans in place for greater use of the fast platforms at any of the TfL Rail eastern stations in the future? 3) Which organisation or government body makes the decisions about which operators are permitted to stop at stations? Are Greater Anglia allowed to timetable services to stop at the TfL Rail stations if they desire, or is this a decision made by TfL or another body? 4) In the scenario that a TfL Rail train has been replatformed to stop on one of the fast platforms due to a disruption, and the platform gates are locked, preventing passengers from accessing or leaving where they need to be, what would be the advice given to passengers by TfL be and how would TfL respond to and deal with this situation?

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TfL Ref: FOI-0318-2021

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 3^rd June 2020 asking for information about Romford station.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. 

Your questions are answered in turn below:

Question 1) Are there proposals in place to axe the 'Romford' stop of some or all of the fast Greater Anglia services that currently serve the station?

This is a question that needs to be put to Greater Anglia, the train operator that runs these services. Greater Anglia currently has trains that stop at Romford and TfL does not have any knowledge if this will change in the future. Greater Anglia can be contacted via its website here:  https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/contact-us

Question 1a) If yes, what is the reasoning behind this and has/would the full service of Crossrail influence your decision?

As above, this is a question that needs to be put to Greater Anglia.

Question 2) Along the eastern TfL Rail route, the fast platforms at stations do not receive any timetabled train services except during disruptions/engineering work. (I am aware that Seven Kings receives one very early morning train for driver's convenience on the fast side). Are there any plans in place for greater use of the fast platforms at any of the TfL Rail eastern stations in the future?

There is currently no requirement for the fast line platforms to be used during normal service. The fast line platforms are available for use during disruption and for diversions required by engineering works. This will continue.

Question 3) Which organisation or government body makes the decisions about which operators are permitted to stop at stations? Are Greater Anglia allowed to timetable services to stop at the TfL Rail stations if they desire, or is this a decision made by TfL or another body?

The decision is usually made by the train operator in consultation with the organisation that specifies their contract. For TfL Rail this is managed through its Concession Agreement with TfL, and for Greater Anglia this is managed through their Franchise Agreement with the Department for Transport. Romford Station is managed by TfL Rail, so in this case Greater Anglia has negotiated a Station Access Agreement with TfL Rail to enable their services to call at the station. The timetable will also need to be agreed with Network Rail in line with the Network Code Part D timetable development process. These agreements are regulated by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Question 4) In the scenario that a TfL Rail train has been replatformed to stop on one of the fast platforms due to a disruption, and the platform gates are locked, preventing passengers from accessing or leaving where they need to be, what would be the advice given to passengers by TfL be and how would TfL respond to and deal with this situation?

All TfL Rail stations are staffed from 15 minutes before the first service until 15 minutes after the last service. If a train was diverted onto the fast line platforms the platforms would be unlocked and TfL Rail staff would be available to assist.

If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.

On a more general matter, please note that the Government has announced a series of measures to tackle the coronavirus. It is essential for London that we continue to provide a safe transport network for essential journeys.

In current circumstances, we are not able to answer FOI requests readily and we ask that you please do not make a request to us at present.

Answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. In any event, please note that our response time will be affected by the current situation.

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,

David Wells

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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