I want to know how many people have been injured or killed after falling onto the tracks of the London underground in 2019. And, for each fatality or injury, would it be possible for the underground station to be named? I am looking for information of all categories - crime related incidents, trespass, medical incidents and suicides.

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TfL Ref: FOI-2559-1920

Thank you again for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 21 November 2019.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and TfL’s information access policy. We do hold the information you have requested. You asked:

I want to know how many people have been injured or killed after falling onto the tracks of the London underground in 2019.

And, for each fatality or injury, would it be possible for the underground station to be named?

I am looking for information of all categories - crime related incidents, trespass, medical incidents and suicides.

The requested data is provided in the attached spreadsheet. This includes all fatal and non-fatal incidents. 

However, in accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply the name of the station where the incidents occurred, as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 38(1)(a).

In this instance the exemption has been applied as disclosure of the information you have requested could lead to further suicide attempts at particular stations by revealing which stations have already had the most attempts, and so would be likely to prejudice health and safety. The Samaritans have recently published guidance which advises against reporting of rail suicides at a particular station, as these details may result in the station becoming known as a suicide location: http://www.samaritans.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/files/press/Samaritans%20media%20factsheet%20-%20rail%20suicides.pdf.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, but in this instance we feel that ensuring the protection of vulnerable people, passengers and staff puts the balance in favour of withholding the information.

The Tube supports nearly 5 million customer journeys per day. In 2016/17 a total of 1.38 billion passenger journeys were made and our transport network carried more passengers than ever before. Our first priority is the safety of all our customers, staff and others travelling or working on our network.

We provide training to our staff on how to identify and give the appropriate support to any customers who appear to be in mental/emotional distress or who are acting in a way which would identify them as high risk of accessing the track. We have developed training material based on industry best practice to give staff even more knowledge about the signs to look out for and the confidence to intervene. We also work with Network Rail and other train operating companies to share information and approaches to managing incidents of prohibited track access on the railway.

London Underground (LU) works closely with the British Transport Police (BTP) and the emergency services to ensure a coordinated response to incidents. LU has introduced a ‘blue light’ response for the Emergency Response Unit with a police driver supplied by the British Transport Police (BTP). We also have the Network Incident Response Team which includes a BTP Police Medical Officer with a LU Network Incident Response Manager. Additionally, there has been a notable improvement in medical intervention in these cases which enables paramedic first aid to be given on site and enhance the survival rate.

For our staff, we have an established Trauma Support Group (TSG), which is a network of 140 volunteers who are front line operational staff trained and supervised to provide support to staff members affected by an incident.

Comprehensive help and support is also available for the friends and family of anyone injured during, or affected by, a serious incident involving TfL services, via The Sarah Hope Line (0343 222 5678).

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some 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 Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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