Please provide a list of each time a London Underground train operating under Automatic Train Operation (i.e. Victoria, Central, Jubilee, or Northern Line) has departed a station where a driver has not been in the driving cab. As I understand it, these incidents can result when the door close instruction is given with the driver standing on the platform. Similarly, please provide a list of each time a DLR train has departed a station where the Passenger Service Agent has not been on the train, when the PSA should in fact have been on the train. For each of the above incidents, please provide a copy of any investigation report relating to the incident.

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Dear

TfL Ref: FOI-1491-1819

Thank you for your email which we received on 1 September 2018. Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to you.

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 hold some of the information you require. You asked:

Please provide a list of each time a London Underground train operating under Automatic Train Operation (i.e. Victoria, Central, Jubilee, or Northern Line) has departed a station where a driver has not been in the driving cab. As I understand it, these incidents can result when the door close instruction is given with the driver standing on the platform.

Similarly, please provide a list of each time a DLR train has departed a station where the Passenger Service Agent has not been on the train, when the PSA should in fact have been on the train.

For each of the above incidents, please provide a copy of any investigation report relating to the incident.

My request is in reference to the full time period for which LUL have operated ATO trains on each line, which I believe to date back to 1968 on the Victoria Line.

London Underground trains have Train Operators in cabs throughout their operation, and are designed not to operate until the Train Operators operate the traction brake controllers in the train cab.

The interlocking arrangements on modern automatic train operation (ATO) systems on the London Underground mean that this scenario is not possible on trains from 1992 Tube Stock onwards. This did occur on 67TS, however, we no longer hold the records for this fleet as we only keep them for a limited number of years after the stock is withdrawn from service.

Regarding DLR trains, there is a Passenger Services Assistant (PSA) on board every train the DLR operates to provide customer assistance and revenue services, when required. PSAs are mobile and move through the train throughout the course of their shift. Train operation is controlled by a central computer system. At stations, a train will dock and the doors will enable automatically to allow access and egress by the passengers.

When the train is ready to depart, the signalling system provides a prompt to the PSA that it is time for the train to depart. The PSA then, via a local door control panel, will close all doors on the train, when it is safe and clear to do so. When all doors are closed, the train will depart but the PSA remains at the door control panel to stop the train, if required in an emergency, by placing an inhibit on the train. 

Please find attached the results and associated documents relating to DLR trains departing without a staff member on board. We have located a total of 7 incidents between the years 2000 and 2018. None of the trains carried any passengers on board. Please note to retrieve this data any further would exceed the  ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.

We have estimated that it would considerably exceed the cost limit because we would have to manually trawl through archived records to locate, retrieve and compile the information you have requested.

Please note that in accordance with TfL’s obligations under Data Protection legislation all personal data has been removed, as required by section 40(2) of the FOI Act. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the legislation, specifically the first principle which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions which would make the processing ‘fair’.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, 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

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

Subject: Freedom of Information request - Incidents where ATO trains departed without drivers

Dear Transport for London,

Please provide a list of each time a London Underground train operating under Automatic Train Operation (i.e. Victoria, Central, Jubilee, or Northern Line) has departed a station where a driver has not been in the driving cab. As I understand it, these incidents can result when the door close instruction is given with the driver standing on the platform.

Similarly, please provide a list of each time a DLR train has departed a station where the Passenger Service Agent has not been on the train, when the PSA should in fact have been on the train.

For each of the above incidents, please provide a copy of any investigation report relating to the incident.

My request is in reference to the full time period for which LUL have operated ATO trains on each line, which I believe to date back to 1968 on the Victoria Line.

Attachments

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