Highest recorded temperature for every London Underground station and Tube Line on 18.07.2022
Request ID: FOI-0928-2223 Date published: 09 August 2022
You asked
Please could you release the highest recorded temperatures for every underground tube station and tube line on the 18.07.2022.
We answered
TfL Ref: 0928-2223
Thank you for your request received by us on 18 July 2022 asking for information about temperatures recorded on the London Underground network.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy. You asked for:
The highest recorded temperatures for every underground tube station and tube line on the 18.07.2022. London Underground record temperatures across the Underground network in order to inform our cooling initiatives. We have implemented a number energy efficient solutions on new trains which saves energy and reduces the heat generated. We have also undertaken initiatives to removed heat from our stations and tunnel environment by installing new ventilation or cooling solutions.
We are constantly working on new ways to lower the temperature on the London Underground. Whilst there are already air conditioned trains on 40 per cent of the London Underground network, we are determined to do all we can to help make journeys more comfortable for customers on other lines while investing in solutions for the longer term. For example, in addition the 192 air-conditioned Tube trains in service, there are enhanced tunnel ventilation systems on both the Victoria and Jubilee lines. On older parts of the Tube network, we have introduced a range of station cooling systems including industrial-sized fans and chiller units to pump in cold air. During periods of hot weather, we advise our customers to ensure they carry water with them when they travel to ensure they stay hydrated; offer a seat to those who may need it; and if they feel ill, to contact a member of staff at the next station. We also have a number of stations across the network that have water points where customers can refill their water bottle when travelling, in addition to the Mayor of London’s network of over 100 water fountains around the city. However, given the extent of the information you are looking for, we are applying Regulation 12(4)(b) as we believe that the request is ‘manifestly unreasonable’ because providing the information you have requested would impose unreasonable costs on us and require an unreasonable diversion of resources.
To answer your current request would take an excessive amount of staff time and resources, as the data you have requested is not readily available. To retrieve and process this information, our teams would need to visit every station platform and download the data from the measuring devices. We can advise that working on a full time basis, it would require two weeks to collect this data from each of the 27 stations on the Tube network. The data collected from each of these locations would then need to be analysed and compiled into a format suitable for public disclosure, taking a further three days to complete, subject to staff availability. Whilst we are not scheduled to take temperature recordings again until this September, monthly temperatures for all tube lines to 2020 can be viewed in the GLA Datastore via the following link:https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/london-underground-average-monthly-temperatures
In the meantime, you may wish to consider narrowing the scope of your request so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. For example, you may want to limit your request to a particular London Underground line or some station of interest. The use of this exception is subject to a public interest test, which requires us to consider whether the public interest in applying the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure. We recognise that the release of information would promote accountability and transparency in public services and may help address your particular concerns about this issue. However, the time it would take to provide the information you have requested would divert a disproportionate amount of our resources from its core functions and on balance we consider that the public interest currently favours the use of the exception.
We will consider your request again, if you are able to narrow its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. 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 FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
