Request ID: FOI-1228-2223 Date published: 15 September 2022
You asked
Please tell me, for each of the last 12 months:
1 How many times was step-free access suspended at a tube station because of staffing issues
2 How many times was step-free access suspended at a tube station because of a faulty lift.
Please also tell me, for each of the last five years:
1 How many times was step-free access suspended at a tube station because of staffing issues
2 How many times was step-free access suspended at a tube station because of a faulty lift.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-1228-2223
Thank you for your request received on 18 August 2022 asking for information about step-free access availability.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require.
Ensuring that we are able to provide inclusive and accessible journeys across our network is really important to TfL. We place real importance on accessibility, and remain committed to disability equality training for our staff. Providing seamless accessible journeys, including our Turn Up And Go service, is an integral part of our customer service offering.
We have unfortunately seen some recent station and lift closures in part due staffing challenges with managing existing vacancies, coupled with ongoing higher absence levels as a result of the pandemic, as well as increased annual leave during the summer holiday period. This means that sometimes we have to close stations and or suspend step-free access to keep other stations open. We place a priority on keeping step-free stations open as much as we can, but when we do not have the staffing numbers to safely do so, for example in the event of an emergency lift evacuation or for the deployment of a manual boarding ramp, we have to close the station or suspend step-free access to ensure safe operations. This is, of course, in addition to any mechanical fault which may mean a lift has to close.
Our step-free tube map shows stations where you can get between the platform and street step-free, or change between lines step-free. Step-free stations are marked with a coloured symbol and a letter showing the size of the gap between the platform and the train. At some stations access to the train is by manual boarding ramp. These stations are also clearly marked on the map. The map is available on our website http://content.tfl.gov.uk/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf.
If you arrive at a Tube, Elizabeth line or Overground station and the lift is unavailable, staff will help you to plan an alternative journey to your destination. If there isn't a reasonable alternative route, we'll book you a taxi (at our cost) to take you to your destination or another step-free station from where you can continue your journey.
Like our other assets such as trains and track, we have a continual programme of maintenance and renewal for our lifts and escalators. Our lifts get a routine maintenance check every two weeks, a full MOT every six months and a partial refurbishment every five years. Lifts must be fully replaced every 10 to 20 years, depending on the type.
Lifts are checked first thing in the morning and throughout the day to ensure that the doors, buttons, intercom and emergency buttons are working. Whenever an asset does not work it is reported to the engineer, who will be called out to assess and fix the fault. The engineer is required on site within two hours of the fault being reported. However, if a person is stuck in a lift this is treated as an emergency and they are required to be there within 30 minutes.
For more details about accessibility on the TfL network please visit our website at https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/.
Please find the requested information in the tables below:
Please tell me, for each of the last 12 months: 1 How many times was step-free access suspended at a tube station because of staffing issues 2 How many times was step-free access suspended at a tube station because of a faulty lift.
Last 12 Months
Asset
Staff
Total
Aug-21
123
60
183
Sep-21
80
14
94
Oct-21
73
34
107
Nov-21
71
28
99
Dec-21
87
55
142
Jan-22
74
55
129
Feb-22
111
48
159
Mar-22
77
75
152
Apr-22
55
62
117
May-22
91
44
135
Jun-22
103
109
212
Jul-22
131
51
182
Total
1076
635
1711
Please also tell me, for each of the last five years: 1 How many times was step-free access suspended at a tube station because of staffing issues 2 How many times was step-free access suspended at a tube station because of a faulty lift.
Financial Year
Asset
Staff
Total
Step Free Availability %
2018/19
974
20
994
98.69%
2019/20
959
88
1047
98.75%
2020/21
578
394
972
98.96%
2021/22
1059
490
1549
98.13%
2022/23 YTD
429
316
745
97.81%
Total
3999
1308
5307
Please note: • Step free data is not available before 1 April 2018 • 2022/23 year to date is up to 13 August 2022 • Data collection is based on Service Status messages published by the London Underground Control Centre (LUCC) • If the message regarding loss of step free at a station is changed it will be recorded as a separate entry meaning one incident could be recorded multiple times • If an incident spans multiple traffic days, a new record is created for each day, therefore the same incident could have multiple records if it goes across multiple days • Some loss of step free incidents are very short – for example less than 10 minutes • If a station closure has been advertised to the public via the Service Status – e.g. because of strike action, the loss of step free access will not be recorded and it will not appear in these figures
If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
