TfL Ref: 0546-1920

Thank you for your request received by us on 23 May 2019 asking for information about noise complaints on London Underground’s District and Circle lines between Sloane Square and South Kensington stations.

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 some of the information you require. You asked for:

a breakdown, by month, for the last 10 years, of noise complaints for the District and Circle line between Sloane Square and South Kensington.

If possible please can you give the location as accurately as possible of these noise complaints. Also please provide any further information you may have on noise readings for the District and Circle line between Sloane Square and South Kensington. I would like you to source this information from both of your databases (the Customer Service version and the engineering version).

Can you also please provide information on the material of the sleepers, points, joint and rails on this part of this track and any future plans to reduce noise on this part of the track.

We are unable to provide ten years worth of data as requested since the data we hold is from 2017 onwards only. Both our engineering and Customer Services databases have a record of five complaints concerning train and track noise from the District and Circle lines specifically between Sloane Square and South Kensington. The dates and their corresponding postcodes are listed below:

September 2017 - SW3 2RS
November 2017 - SW3 2AR
May 2018 - SW7 2NJ
November 2018 - SW3 2QH
March 2019 - SW3 2RB

Between Sloane Square and South Kensington stations there are various insulated block joints required for the train signalling system. There is also a set of points and crossings located within close proximity of South Kensington Station.  The images we have available of the track show that the track form is flat-bottom rail on concrete sleepers.

Tackling residential and customer noise complaints is ongoing – whilst we are aware of all the noise locations, we are limited with the works that can be done to further lower noise or to levels that everyone will find acceptable. However, we continuously take noise readings and review the track condition to assess what works can be done to reduce noise where practicable to do so.

There are currently no major track works planned for this area within the current financial year.  Anyone affected by noise can contact our dedicated customer services line, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the link below:
https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact/

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

Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
Information Governance
Transport For London