Please provide a policy that states that TfL staff do not issue apologies for service delays over announcements.

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TfL Ref: FOI-2422-1920

Thank you for your letter of 5^th November 2019 (attached) asking for confirmation of TfL’s policy in regards to making announcements during service disruption.

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

We ask our staff to make public announcements on our trains and stations for a number of reasons, including regular service updates, which provide details about service delays. Although we provide guidance on the structure and content of public announcements, we do not offer set scripts for everything, to allow staff the ability to make their own decisions depending on the specific context. We have not issued any official advice prohibiting staff from apologising via public announcements.

In some circumstances, such announcements are supplemented or replaced with alternative communication methods. For example, during prolonged significant disruption we will use emails and/or posters to communicate with customers and, if appropriate, these will contain an apology. The recent disruption on the Metropolitan line is an example of where we will be using emails to customers

On the Metropolitan Line more generally, we are aware that there have been a number of performance problems since the new signalling went live. On 2 September 2019, a section of new, digital signalling was introduced from Latimer Road (Circle and Hammersmith & City lines) to Finchley Road and Euston Square (Metropolitan and Circle lines) and Paddington (Circle, Hammersmith & City and District lines), with trains operating automatically on that section of the route. This was a huge step forward in overhauling the signalling system on some of the oldest and busiest parts of the network. All train operators were fully trained and certified to operate the new signalling system prior to its introduction. However, as part of our commitment to safety, all train operators had to be accompanied through the newly-upgraded section by an Instructor Operator the first few times they went through the area. We refer to this as ‘familiarisation’. The need to familiarise train operators is why we initially had to operate a reduced service. On the Metropolitan line there have also been a number of faults unrelated to the new signalling system which have resulted in delays. We recognise the perception from a customer’s point of view that it’s all connected. We review each incident and take action to identify solutions to avoid the faults repeating.

We had undertaken extensive testing during engineering hours and on weekends prior to the new signalling going live, and we had witnessed good performance of the new system. It is only through ongoing running in a live environment that we have exposed the system’s intricacies and which has allowed us to identify the necessary remedial actions. Working closely with our supplier, Thales, and a team of technicians we are delivering a robust package of measures and solutions on the Metropolitan line to tackle delays and prevent disruption. Two software updates are scheduled for the end of November and mid-January 2020. These will address a number of reliability issues. All actions are subject to rigorous testing and safety approvals. Fixes to this new and complex system need to be carefully developed and tested, and changes to infrastructure or the signalling system can take time whilst we ensure that all our safety processes are followed. We are confident that this will help reduce delays and provide our customers on the Metropolitan line with the level of service they expect. We are reviewing all the events since the last phase of the signalling upgrade went live at the beginning of September to determine whether we could or should have done anything differently to reduce the impact and length of disruption. We will employ every measure possible to tackle delays effectively and recover service as soon as possible.

We thank you for your continued patience and we are sorry for the disruption this is causing to your journeys. Note that the Four Line Modernisation Project (“4LM”) is currently on track to deliver an initial 30 trains per hour service over the south side of the central area in May 2021, with further increases planned across all lines by May 2023. The £5.4 billion programme to modernise the signalling on these lines will result in greater capacity and frequency, as well as improved journey times, reliability and customer information, transforming the overall experience for our customers. More information can be found via the following link:

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/metropolitan-line-signalling?cid=met-line-signals

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

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