Hi. Can I have a copy of all communications that concern the new signalling system on the Met Line. Including emails and minutes from meetings both before and after implementing

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TfL Ref: FOI-2434-1920

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 12^th November 2019 asking for copies of all communications concerning the new signalling system on the Metropolitan line.

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

Specifically you asked:

“Can I have a copy of all communications that concern the new signalling system on the Met Line. Including emails and minutes from meetings both before and after implementing.”

I can confirm that we hold the information you require. However, we estimate that to provide the information you have requested would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 for responding to FOI cases. Under section 12 of the FOI Act we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, and then locating, retrieving or extracting it from other information, would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described – equivalent to 18 hours work.

There is no easy way for us to source all of the information covered in your request. The ‘Four Lines Modernisation’ (4LM) project, under which the Metropolitan, District, Circle, and Hammersmith & City lines are being modernised, represents the largest single upgrade in the history of the London Underground. Due to its scale, in an environment where some of the infrastructure is over 150 years old, including inter-operation with other London Underground lines, other Train Operating Companies and Network Rail, the upgrade is highly complex. The planning has taken years; work to install the new signalling and control system began in 2016; and implementation is ongoing. Given this, you will appreciate that the number of emails alone (notwithstanding any other form of communication) generated in connection with the project will number in the thousands, if not tens of thousands (and, given the wording of your request, would have to include not just emails and all other communications between TfL staff, but also all such communications we hold with external parties such as contractors, passengers and other stakeholders). It is difficult to gauge exactly how long it would take us to source all such material, but we estimate that it would be well in excess of the £450 limit.

To help bring the cost of responding to your request within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider narrowing or reframing its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking, to focus more specifically on the information that is of most importance to you. In doing so, I would ask that you take into account the guidance from the Information Commissioner on how best to access information from a public body that can be found on its website here:

https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/official-information/

In particular, I would point you towards the table of “Dos and Don’ts” found halfway down that page, which suggests that applicant should not “send catch-all requests (such as ‘please provide me with everything you hold about ‘x’)” nor “deliberately fish for information” by submitting a very broad request.

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 going live, and we had witnessed good performance of the new signalling 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.

Assuming your request is in connection with these problems, we thank you for your continued patience and we are sorry for the disruption this is causing to your journeys. Note that the 4LM project 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

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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