Anticipated Cost of TfL Underground Step-Free Access Upgrade
Request ID: FOI-0754-2122 Date published: 29 July 2021
You asked
What are the anticipated finish dates for the following stations to provide step-free access and how much has been spent so far and what is the expected cost for each station (and not the total sum)?
• Osterley
• Harrow-on-the-Hill
• Sudbury Hill
• Wimbledon Park
• Knightsbridge
What are the anticipated start and finish dates for the following stations to provide step-free access and how much has been spent so far (if costed) and what is the expected cost for each station (and not the total sum)?
• Boston Manor
• Burnt Oak
• Hanger Lane
• North Ealing
• Northolt
• Park Royal
• Rickmansworth
• Ruislip
• Snaresbrook
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0753-2122 and FOI-0754-2122
Thank you for your requests (shown below) received by Transport for London (TfL) on 13th July 2021 asking for information about works to provide step-free access at 30 London Underground stations. Your requests have been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
I can confirm that we hold the information you require. However, your requests are being refused under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act because it would cost more than the appropriate limit to source the information to answer them. Under section 12, requests for the same or similar information from the same applicant received within a 60 day period can be aggregated for the purposes of calculating costs, which applies to your two requests. If it would cost more than £450 to determine if the requested information is held, and to then locate, retrieve or extract that information from elsewhere, then there is no obligation to provide that information. This is calculated at a rate of £25 per hour, equivalent to 18 hours work.
In this case there is no single source for the information and no easy way of extracting it from our records. In particular, this is because the work to provide step-free access at a large number of the stations you list was not stand-alone step-free access work. Rather, the works were incorporated into wider projects to upgrade and enhance the stations. The process to distinguish what was spent on the provision of step-free access alone - including design and implementation - from the wider works would be far from simple, and given the number of stations you list we believe it would exceed the £450 limit.
In order to bring your requests within the costs limit you may wish to refine and narrow their scope. For example, I believe it would be possible to answer the question on the cost of works in respect of the following stations, where the works to provide step-free access were / are discrete projects (albeit we may need to ensure that release of information does not prejudice TfL’s commercial position in relation to work not yet procured):
Osterley
Harrow-on-the-Hill
Sudbury Hill
Wimbledon Park
Cockfosters
Amersham
Ickenham
Buckhurst Hill
Debden
Mill Hill East
Newbury Park
South Woodford
We would also be able to answer questions about the dates of work, even if it just to say that work is paused, or that work is estimated to be completed in - for example - the Summer of a given year (note that forecasts for completion dates on step-free access change regularly and often for reasons beyond our control).
Before determining to submit any revised request please review the information that can be found on our website here, which may answer some of your questions:
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
