TfL Ref: FOI-2221-2425

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 12^th October 2024.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. 

Specifically you asked:

“I would like to request the following information regarding passenger emergency alarms and ramp usage across all lines and rolling stock:

Passenger Emergency Alarms:

1. The location of the passenger emergency alarms on trains.

2. The height of the passenger emergency alarms from the train floor.

3. The number of times the emergency alarm was activated in 2023 due to mobility aid users being unable to deboard at their destination.

Ramp and Mini Ramp Usage Statistics:

1. The number of times a ramp or mini ramp was requested in 2023.

2. The number of instances where a requested ramp or mini ramp was not available for a mobility aid user at their destination in 2023.”

I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require.

In answer to Questions 1 and 2 on Passenger Emergency Alarms (PEAs), the information is as follows:

Elizabeth Line:

PEAs are located at doorways A, C and E on every saloon and Call For Aid (CAF) points are located in the wheelchair bays. This is further illustrated in the attached diagrams (PEAs are shown as red dots, CAF points are green dots). 

The PEA height is 1390mm, the CFA height is 750mm

London Underground:

We have different rolling stock in use across different London Underground lines. There is a passenger alarm in every vestibule (door area) on every train except on the Waterloo and City line (note that the Waterloo and City Line fleet is being overhauled to incorporate equipment required to comply with the Rail vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2010). 

Passenger Emergency Alarms are fitted in wheelchair bays at heights determined to be operable by users between the 5^th percentile female and 95^th percentile males when using a reference wheelchair. These vary in height and design by fleet. Alarms available in other areas of the train also vary in height determined by the space available on the train but have been determined to be operable by standing users 5^th percentile female and 95^th percentile males.

We have assured our designs for accessibility and operation by the ‘smallest’ to ‘largest’ of our Customers (otherwise known as the 5^th percentile female to 95^th percentile male) including those who use wheelchairs.  The PEAs are therefore positioned at a height to ensure that they can be accessed and operated by those standing and those using wheelchairs in the vestibule area.

London Overground:

For both 378s and 710s the PEAs are located on the right hand side of the double doorways as you exit through them. The 378s also have two extra buttons, one in each wheelchair section and the 710s have two Call for Aid buttons, also one in each wheelchair section.

On the 378s the buttons in each doorway are 1500mm from the train floor and 750mm in the wheelchair sections. For 710s, the passenger emergency alarms are 1460mm from the train floor and the call for aid buttons are 760mm in the wheelchair sections.

Docklands Light Railway:

Both the B2007s and B92s have a similar arrangement apart from the B92 Disabled Alarm Talkback unit (or DATU) height from floor level. The Passenger Alarm Talkback units or (PATUs) number 4 per vehicle and are located on the doors 1, 3, 6 and 8 at a height of approx. 164cm height from floor level. Disabled Alarm Talkback units (or DATUs), number 2 per vehicle, and are located in the area of the wheel chair spaces, at a height of approx. 73cm from floor level for the B2007 vehicle and approx. 86cm for the B92 vehicle. The illustrations attached (two halves of a complete vehicle) shows the positioning of the units highlighted in yellow.

Regarding question number 3 on Passenger Emergency Alarms (The number of times the emergency alarm was activated in 2023 due to mobility aid users being unable to deboard at their destination) this exact information is not recorded for the London Underground, the Elizabeth Line or the London Overground. For the DLR, there were a minimum of 25 activations due to passengers missing their stop (the remaining 189 activations are just recorded as general “passenger alarm activation”, with no reason recorded).

Regarding the questions on ramp and mini ramp usage, the information is not recorded for the London Underground. Nor is it recorded for the Elizabeth Line, although we do know that there were 12,413 prebooked passenger assists in 2023, but we are unable to determine how many of these required a ramp or mini-ramp (noting that not all passenger assistances require a ramp or mini ramp, as some stations have level boarding). For the London Overground, the total number of times a ramp was requested in 2023 was 23,747 times. The London Overground does not keep records of where a requested ramp or mini ramp was not available for a mobility aid user at their destination in 2023 (however, note that all London Overground stations that are wheelchair accessible are equipped with a ramp). The questions are not applicable to the DLR which did not have ramps or any mini ramps in use in 2023.

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