Request ID: FOI-1480-2223 Date published: 03 October 2022
You asked
Please would it be possible to know if the tunnels, on the Jubilee line between Green park and North Greenwich contain any asbestos?
We answered
TfL Ref: EIR-1480-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 19th September 2022 asking for information about the Jubilee line tunnels from Green Park to North Greenwich.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“Please would it be possible to know if the tunnels, on the Jubilee line between Green park and North Greenwich contain any asbestos?”
I can confirm that we hold the information you require.
Note that due to the age of the Underground, asbestos is found in a number of locations on the network. However, in public areas the vast majority of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are contained behind station finishes and cannot be accessed by the general public. Where ACMs are found in public areas, they are located where they cause no risk to the general public or staff. All stations are re-inspected on a periodic basis to ensure that no damage has been caused to change this status. If, in the very rare case it is assessed and the status has changed for any reason, then a risk assessment is undertaken which will result in either encapsulation, encasement, or removal.
The only section of tunnel between Green Park and North Greenwich where asbestos is known to be present is between Green Park Station and the junction going towards Westminster (known as ‘Step Plate Junction’). It is a relatively short section of tunnel around 200 metres in length. This section of the line was constructed in the 1970’s and completed towards the end of that decade. During this period, asbestos was still being used and it is therefore present within this section of track. It is present in the following forms:
Asbestos woven cable sheath
Flash guards within electrical/signalling equipment
Caulking between tunnel ring segments
Composite boarding within equipment boxes
Packing material within wooden pit blocks in platform area.
The track sections beyond Step Plate Junction were constructed in the 1990s and asbestos containing materials were not used.
TfL have processes and procedures in place to ensure that the management of asbestos is carried out in compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Some of the main requirements that London Underground deliver under this regulation are listed below:
• Identify the location and condition of hazardous materials • Maintain an asbestos register with known, presumed or strongly presumed asbestos • Assess and manage the risk of exposure • Prepare, implement, review & monitor the management plan to manage the risks • Regularly inspect known instances of asbestos • Provide information on the location and condition of the material to anyone who is likely to disturb it • Carry out management, refurbishment and / or pre-demolition surveys when required • Carry out airborne fibre monitoring where necessary • Maintain records detailing when and where asbestos is removed, treated and disposed • Request and retain Waste Consignment Note upon transportation of Hazardous Materials to Hazardous Waste Landfill site • Hold relevant Asbestos Management Qualifications
It is London Underground’s policy to continue to safely manage ACMs in-situ, through continued management surveys, re-inspections, risk assessments and pre-work Refurbishment & Demolition (R&D) surveys. We also carry out airborne fibre monitoring for asbestos for reassurance during work on or near to asbestos containing materials.
If this is not the information you are looking for 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,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
