Request ID: FOI-0987-2122 Date published: 25 August 2021
You asked
Could you please provide me with the following GIS Data requests :
- GIS Data of TfL’s lines of route of its railway network i.e lines of route of London Underground, London Overground, TfL Rail, DLR, and London Trams (Format: Shapefiles ; Geometry Type: Lines)
- GIS Data of TfL’s stations of its railway network i.e. lines of route of the following: London Underground, London Overground, TfL Rail, DLR, and London Trams (Format: Shapefiles ; Geometry Type: Points).
- GIS Data of TfL’s zoning fares (Format: Shapefiles ; Geometry Type: Polygons/areas)
After a research on London DataStore and on previous FOI Requests, I couldn’t find these data sets (expired links and/or no download link).
Thank you very much for your time and for considering my request.
We answered
Our ref: FOI-0987-2122/GH
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 10 August 2021 asking for GIS data on TfL’s property assets.
Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy.
I can confirm that we do hold the information you require. However, in accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply the information you have requested as it is subject to statutory exemptions to the right of access to information, under Section 38(1)(b) and Section 24 of the Act.
In this instance the exemption has been applied as disclosure of the information requested would be likely to adversely affect the safety and security of Transport for London (TfL) employees and members of the general public as well as national security.
Disclosure of this information to you has to be regarded as a disclosure to ‘the public at large’. This information could potentially be obtained and utilised by individuals who may wish to use this detailed level technical information to cause disruption or harm to our network and assets.
Disclosure of information could compromise security and safety preparedness and would place members of the public and TfL staff at risk by highlighting areas on the network which could be susceptible to being targeted. It is our concern that the release of details about the operating environment could be combined with other information already in the public domain to help plan an attack.
Whilst we make no suggestion that you would use the information for anything other than your own personal interest, the London Underground system and our other networks are attractive terrorist targets for several reasons including their importance to London and the knock on effect to the nation’s economy if they are disrupted, the publicity gained from attacking an iconic transport system and the attractiveness of the system for a mass casualty attack due to its open, mass transport nature. It is also important to the functioning of London and its economy.
The use of these exemptions is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, but in this instance the public interest in applying the exemption, in order to minimise risks to operational resilience, safe operation of the London Underground network, the welfare of staff and members of the general public, outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
