Request ID: FOI-1744-2324 Date published: 21 September 2023
You asked
How many London Underground stations were closed to passengers during operating hours?
Please break down figures by month and by station name.
Please provide brief explanation indicating the reason for each closure, such as staff shortages outside of industrial action periods.
Where one station has been closed multiple times in one month, please state how many times it was closed and why.
Please also include stations which were partly closed for travel (one out of multiple lines being closed). Please state which line and why.
If in scope
Which underground stations were closed during peak hours and why?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-1744-2324 Thank you for your request which we received on 24 August 2023, asking about station closures. 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 the information you require. You asked: How many London Underground stations were closed to passengers during operating hours? Please break down figures by month and by station name. Please provide brief explanation indicating the reason for each closure, such as staff shortages outside of industrial action periods. Where one station has been closed multiple times in one month, please state how many times it was closed and why. Please also include stations which were partly closed for travel (one out of multiple lines being closed). Please state which line and why. If in scope Which underground stations were closed during peak hours and why? We aim to minimise station closures as much as possible and strive to always exhaust all avenues before making the decision to close a station. However, on some occasions it is unavoidable, and due to safety regulations which requires some stations to have a minimum number of staff, we are legally obligated to close the station. We are aware of the inconvenience that station closures can cause to our customers and only close stations as a last resort. We are working to improve the situation and have seen a reduction in the number and length of closures over the past few months. Measures being taken include recruiting into roles where recruitment had previously been paused due to the pandemic. On the occasions when we are required to close a station, we will where possible, prioritise keeping the stations which have greater strategic importance and those with step-free access open (e.g. stations with better connectivity to the rest of the TfL and National Rail network) by re-deploying available station staff. Above-ground stations are not subject to the same requirements for minimum staff numbers as underground stations and may be kept open when no staff are available. TfL’s Turn up and Go service for customers that require this service remains available at all stations. If for any reason we cannot offer a physical service, we will make alternative arrangements such as the use of an accessible taxi. Please find the attached spreadsheet containing the station closures data you asked for. Please refer to the ‘Notes’ tab for caveats and recording practices. Planned closures and industrial actions are not included in the figures. We have also not included partial closures as the reporting system we use does not easily allow us to differentiate these. 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 Eva Hextall FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
