Freedom of Information request - London Underground station platform automated announcements
Request ID: FOI-1726-2223 Date published: 01 November 2022
You asked
Dear Transport for London,
I am writing to ask some questions under the Freedom Of Information Act 2000 about the London Underground station platform automated announcements that announce the next trains on the platform.
Firstly i would like to know how TFL decides which London Underground stations have automated announcements that announce the trains.
Almost 100% of National Rail stations (including 100% of Elizabeth Line and London Overground stations) have automated announcements and have for many years but yet a huge amount of London Underground stations (i reckon around 50% from my observations) still have no automated announcements at all so the London Underground is still very far behind.
It seems incredibly random which ones do and which ones do not.
For a random example Maida Vale has had automated announcements for over fifteen years now. But yet the two neighbouring stations of Kilburn Park and Warwick Avenue still have no automated announcements at all. But yet these three stations are all next to each other and part of the same group and they are all deep tube so there are no local noise restrictions. So it is odd. This is just one random example i have picked. There are plenty of other similar examples across your network.
So i would like to know how these decisions have been taken as to which London Underground stations to put automated announcements at.
Secondly i would like to know if you have plans to expand automated announcements to all of your London Underground stations or at least to more of them. If so do you have any timeframe for this and do you know which stations will be the next to get them. Or if not can you at least advise roughly when you will roll them out to more stations.
Thirdly and finally i would like a current up to date list of all London Underground stations that have automated announcements. I need this so i can see exactly how many and which ones currently have them. So if you could provide me with a list of all of them that would be great.
Thank you for your assistance with this matter.
We answered
TfL Ref: 1726-2223
Thank you for your request received by us on 17 October 2022 asking for information about the London Underground station platform automated announcements that announce the arrival of trains.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked:
how TFL decides which London Underground stations have automated announcements that announce the trains.
We can advise that this is due to a number of factors; the age of the station communication equipment, the frequency of trains at the station, the signalling system installed at the line/station, and the noise impact with our neighbours.
Almost 100% of National Rail stations (including 100% of Elizabeth Line and London Overground stations) have automated announcements and have for many years but yet a huge amount of London Underground stations (i reckon around 50% from my observations) still have no automated announcements at all so the London Underground is still very far behind.
64% of London Underground stations have equipment installed, which provides the ability to broadcast automated train announcements. London Underground do not broadcast the announcements at all of these stations due to the frequency of trains and noise nuisance issues. As an example, at stations with island platforms, there can be trains every one to two minutes, hence there would be no space to broadcast other safety and information announcements if the ‘Next Train’ announcements were enabled. In contrast, this is not generally a problem that applies to stations using Network Rail infrastructure, such as London Overground, Elizabeth line and National Rail stations as trains are less frequent.
It seems incredibly random which ones do and which ones do not.
For a random example Maida Vale has had automated announcements for over fifteen years now. But yet the two neighbouring stations of Kilburn Park and Warwick Avenue still have no automated announcements at all. But yet these three stations are all next to each other and part of the same group and they are all deep tube so there are no local noise restrictions. So it is odd. This is just one random example i have picked. There are plenty of other similar examples across your network. –
Due to the age of the communications at the stations mentioned above, Maida Vale has the technical equipment to broadcast automated announcements, whereas Kilburn Park and Warwick Avenue do not.
However, London Underground has continuous programs of upgrade works to replace aging equipment; Kilburn Park and Warwick Avenue were upgraded before Maida Vale but unfortunately the ‘Next Train’ announcements were not a requirement of the project at this time. Nevertheless, this technical requirement was introduced by the time Maida Vale was upgraded.
So I would like to know how these decisions have been taken as to which London Underground stations to put automated announcements at.
Secondly I would like to know if you have plans to expand automated announcements to all of your London Underground stations or at least to more of them. If so do you have any timeframe for this and do you know which stations will be the next to get them. Or if not can you at least advise roughly when you will roll them out to more stations.
As previously mentioned, London Underground has continuous programs of upgrade works, although these have faced challenges due to our funding status. Our current work includes upgrading eight stations on the Jubilee line; this program will be completed by mid-2024 and will introduce ‘Next Train’ announcements at these locations.
Thirdly and finally I would like a current up to date list of all London Underground stations that have automated announcements. I need this so i can see exactly how many and which ones currently have them. So if you could provide me with a list of all of them that would be great.
Whilst we do not hold a register of stations that have disabled their ‘Next Train’ announcements, please find attached a list of stations listing where we have the technology to broadcast ‘Next Train’ announcements.
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 FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
