I would like to find out the number of times TfL has received complaints from residents who have said they are able to hear noise caused by the movement of London Underground trains from inside their homes. For each calendar year between 2015 and 2019, can you tell me the total number of such complaints that have been received? When responding to this request, can TfL please ensure the following: - For each individual complaint, please give the tube line the complaint relates to - For each individual complaint, please tell me which postcode area the complainant lives in (for example: SE1 or SW1V) - When calculating the total number of complaints, can you please include all complaints received by customer services via email, post and phone call.

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TfL Ref: 1691-1920

Thank you for your request received by us on 2 September 2019 asking for information about noise complaints from residents relating to London Underground services.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked for:

The number of times TfL has received complaints from residents who have said they are able to hear noise caused by the movement of London Underground trains from inside their homes.

For each calendar year between 2015 and 2019, can you tell me the total number of such complaints that have been received?

When responding to this request, can TfL please ensure the following:
- For each individual complaint, please give the tube line the complaint relates to
- For each individual complaint, please tell me which postcode area the complainant lives in (for example: SE1 or SW1V)
- When calculating the total number of complaints, can you please include all complaints received by customer services via email, post and phone call.

The London Underground supports around five million customer journeys per day, and over 1.3bn journeys a year. We continuously take noise readings and review the track condition to assess what works can be done to reduce noise. There are various engineering initiatives which we are trialling/aim to trial in an attempt to reduce noise. We are currently installing softer pads throughout our resilient track fastening sites to reduce airborne noise. Our loudest sites have already been completed and we are currently measuring the reduction in noise. Additionally, we are also trialling other rail damping technology and an installation has been carried out on the Jubilee line earlier this year. We aim to have reduced the airborne noise in tunnels by the end of 2019.

The following numbers of complaints received per London Underground line represents the data we have been able to retrieve from our reporting system since 2017; a change of database was implemented at this time and we no longer hold this information prior to 2017. The Hammersmith & City and Circle line services are grouped together for reporting services due to both lines sharing much of the same rail track infrastructure.

2017

Bakerloo: 3
Central: 37
District: 20
Hammersmith & City and Circle: 14
Jubilee: 38
Metropolitan: 5
Northern: 71
Piccadilly: 17
Victoria: 65

2018

Bakerloo: 2
Central: 32
District: 25
Hammersmith & City and Circle: 11
Jubilee: 25
Metropolitan: 3
Northern 119
Piccadilly: 5
Victoria: 76

2019 to date

Bakerloo: 3
Central: 16
District: 13
Hammersmith & City and Circle 10
Jubilee: 20
Metropolitan: 3
Northern: 27
Piccadilly: 26
Victoria: 58

Please note that a significant proportion of residents submit complaints on numerous occasions, therefore when looking at the number of complaints received, some figures in one year will be about the same area of concern that was raised in a previous year. Also some residents are affected by multiple lines but will submit a single complaint encompassing them all. Consequently, the complaints figures recorded will not be an exact statistical representation.

We are applying Regulation 12(4)(b) in relation to providing details of the postcode for each individual complaint as we believe that this part of the request is ‘manifestly unreasonable’ and would impose unreasonable costs on us by requiring an unreasonable diversion of resources to retrieve and review each of the above complaints to extract this information for the purposes of your request.

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 also help address your particular concerns about this issue. However, the time it would take to provide this information would divert a disproportionate amount of our resources from its core functions and, taking into account the information already published, on balance we consider that the public interest currently favours the use of the exception.

We will consider this part of your request again, if you are able to narrow its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract this particular information. If you have specific questions we will be happy to consider those.

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

Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
Information Governance
Transport For London

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