TfL Ref: FOI-2741-2425 / FOI-2781-2425 / FOI-2782-2425  

Thank you for your requests received by Transport for London (TfL) on 26th November 2024, 30th November 2024, and 2nd December 2024, all detailed below.

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

Specifically you asked the following:

Case reference FOI-2741-2425:

“Just had some queries about TfL's upcoming rolling stocks.

1) In this TfL's Rail & Underground Panel pdf from 10 years ago, it estimated that the New Rolling Stock on the Piccadilly Line will have begun rolling out on the Piccadilly Line since last year in 2023 as shown in the screenshot below & this link: https://content.tfl.gov.uk/rup-20141113-part-1-item06-new-tube-for-london.pdf

However in practice instead, the actual estimates have pushed the date further ahead onto at least the end of 2025 for the first units to be in service, so I just wanted to ask why has there been this 2-3 year delay than originally anticipated?

2) Secondly, the current 1973 Piccadilly Line stock themselves are actually the 2nd oldest on the Tube network as the 1972 Bakerloo Line stock predates them by just a year - so why has the Piccadilly Line been prioritised for receiving the New Tube for London trains first between 2025 and 2027 instead of the Bakerloo Line that uses slightly older trains?

3) Thirdly, the New Tube for London (NTfL) project also includes bringing new trains to the Central & Waterloo and City Lines as well in addition to the Bakerloo & Piccadilly Lines, so given that the current estimates highlight that the full set of new Piccadilly Line trains will be in service between 2025 and 2027, can you similarly let us know the range of dates for the new Bakerloo, Central & W&C line trains to be rolled out as well from the first to the final trains' arrival (like the Piccadilly's estimates between 2025 and 2027) as of the current estimates today?

4) In addition, over a decade ago there had been a petition for Turnham Green to be made a permanent stop on the Piccadilly Line for all-day services as shown here: https://www.change.org/p/the-mayor-of-london-boris-johnson-stop-piccadilly-line-trains-at-turnham-green-station-throughout-the-day
This was followed by a Promise by the then Mayor of London (& later Prime Minister) Boris Johnson, as well as TfL themselves had confirmed that this is the intention once the Piccadilly Line is upgraded in a Press Release as shown here: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2014/january/piccadilly-line-services-to-stop-at-turnham-green-following-line-upgrade

Even the 2014 video on TfL's YouTube channel showcasing a concept of the New Tube for London show Turnham Green station on the Piccadilly Line's Car Diagrams/ Carriage Maps on the Coaches as a regular station - without any additional red text acknowledging that it only stops on late nights & early mornings (like the ones shown in the current carriage maps) as shown below:
 
Hence now an entire decade later, I just wanted to get an update on this, in that will TfL be delivering on that promise from a decade ago in making Turnham Green a permanent stop on the Piccadilly Line once the line has been upgraded with the new rolling stock from next year?

5) Speaking of which, the official New Tube for London video also indicated that Platform-edge doors (PEDs) could be installed along existing Piccadilly Line stations' platforms just like on the underground Jubilee Line Extension stations' platforms (as shown in the below screenshot) - so may I just ask why has this project been scrapped (or if it has not, just not publicised much yet)?
 

6) I also wanted to ask if the New Tube for London on the 4 lines (& DLR) will have USB sockets for charging phones, headphones & watches like on the new London Overground's Class 710 trains, and if not why?

7) ...and speaking of which, may I know why have the new 710 trains on the LO (introduced only since 2019) been fitted with full-sized USB-A sockets rather than USB type-C sockets for charging - given that the whole tech world (including even the iPhones now since the past couple of years) all increasingly are shifting to use USB-C nowadays much more?

8) Moving onto the DLR trains, a TfL Press release from mid-2023 indicated that a new set of DLR trains will be available for customers to ride on 'from 2024' as shown in this link: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/june/order-placed-for-additional-11-new-state-of-the-art-dlr-trains
However we're now approaching the last month of 2024 without any signs of the new trains on the network yet, may I know when will the first set of DLR trains be running publicly and why has there been this extra delay in the first place?

9) Speaking of which back earlier this year, our own Mayor Sadiq Khan himself supported the call for having Vinyl stickers & Cardboard steering wheels for small kids & big adults to enjoy pretending to drive on the much-loved front seat of this automated light rail system as shown here: https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-dlr-is-getting-steering-wheels-so-you-can-finally-drive-the-train-011124
Hence, can you kindly update us on this if TfL will be installing stickers or cardboard wheels on the front seat of the trains (or both) when they finally arrive in service for us?

10) Meanwhile for the Piccadilly stock in particular, may I know why haven't they been provided with luggage spaces (or at least racks overhead) given it is the tube line exclusively serving all the terminals of one of the World's busiest airports - and given how much they cause a lack of space (not to mention luggage roll-overs & falls) whilst trains are moving in the current stock already?

11) In addition, will the arrival of the new trains mean that the DLR & Bakerloo lines could have weekend Night services after over 7 years of no new lines being added - especially as the Bakerloo remains the only deep-level tube line (other than the W&C) not to ever have gained Night services yet, even though it doesn't have multiple branches to cater for?

12) Finally, can you let us know whether the announcements currently voiced by the female announcers on the current Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Central, W&C & DLR lines will remain or will they be replaced by newly-recorded announcements by a different set of women/ men now?”.

Case reference FOI-2781-2425:

“Here I just wanted to ask about Thameslink & its future with TfL's Tube Map. Over 2 years ago (Ref: FOI-1431-2223), you informed me that Thameslink role on the Tube Map will be reviewed in the future, so this is a follow-up of that years later.

When Thameslink was reintroduced on the Tube map (after 1987-1999) in December 2020, it had been announced & made it clear that it was a 'temporary' measure to have been added and included on the Tube map with its 64 stations served in London since December 2020 as shown in this press release from the time: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2020/december/thameslink-services-set-to-be-temporarily-added-to-latest-tube-map-to-help-support-customers-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic .

The reasons told for this addition were being to provide alternative (& step-free accessible) travel options over lockdowns of Covid, and later to provide alternative routes whilst the Northern Line's Bank branch was shut (2021 - may 2022) to enable the Northern Line Extension & Bank Station Capacity Upgrade work before the Elizabeth Line opened.

So now that both of these tasks have long been completed years ago, I just wanted to ask you why hasn't Thameslink been removed from the Tube Map in its updates ever since then even over 4 years later as we head into 2025 given it was 'temporarily' added (as mentioned numerous times in the press release from the time) & already has completed its purposes when it was needed years ago?”.

Case reference FOI-2782-2425:

“Many thanks for your time helping me out get an idea of the general demography of TfL's workforce as it stands today in the Request ID: FOI-2380-2425, helping me compare TfL's data on ethnicity, religion, gender & age groups with the National Census data that are being revealed by the Office for National Statistics.

Just one thing I wanted to ask you further on this is if you can provide me the data for the number of TfL employees who follow the 2 🇮🇳 Indian Religions of:

☸️ Buddhism ☸︎
🪯 Sikhism ☬

This is because in the previous request, you helped me provide the religious data for the number of Christians, Muslims, Hindus & Jews working in TfL but I wasn't able to find the data similarly for Buddhism & Sikhism. I ask this because in the latest 2021 National Census that we just had, both Buddhists & Sikhs outnumber the number of Jews by hundreds of thousands - just like in the World overall where Judaism is the 6th Biggest religion after Buddhism & Sikhism. Even in our own Capital City, Buddhists & Sikhs make-up 1.00% & 1.64% of Londoners respectively (just smaller then Judaism's 1.65%), so I similarly just wanted to request if you can kindly provide me some data on the number of people at TfL who follow Buddhism & Sikhism as well please?

I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. However, I am afraid that your requests are being refused under section 14 of the Freedom of Information Act, which can apply where requests have the potential to cause a disproportionate or unjustified level of disruption, irritation or distress, and which helps to protect public authorities’ resources from unreasonable requests. The decision to apply the exemption has been taken following consideration of the guidance on its use provided by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on its website here.  As you can see, that guidance contains the following statements, all of which apply in relation to your cases:

“Although satisfying section 14(1) is a high hurdle this does not mean that you can only apply it in the most extreme circumstances, or as a last resort. You should consider using it if, after taking account of all the circumstances, you believe the request is disproportionate or unjustified.”;

“The key test is to determine whether the request is likely to cause a disproportionate or unjustified level of disruption, irritation or distress. A useful starting point is to assess the value or purpose of the request before you look at the impact handling the request would have on you.”

“It is common for a potentially vexatious request to be the latest in a series of requests submitted by an individual. The greater the number of requests received, the more likely it is that the latest request is vexatious. This is because the collective burden of dealing with the previous requests, combined with the burden imposed by the latest request, may mean a tipping point has been reached, rendering the latest request vexatious.”

“You may become overwhelmed, if numerous requests are made in quick succession. This includes where similar requests are submitted before you’ve had the opportunity to respond to previous ones. As the Upper Tribunal in Dransfield said: “A requester who consistently submits multiple FOIA requests or associated correspondence within days of each other, or relentlessly bombards the public authority with e-mail traffic, is more likely to be found to have made a vexatious request”.

“The duration over which previous requests have been made may also be telling. Where requests have been submitted over a long period, possibly years, this may indicate that requests will continue to be made in the future. Therefore, even if the latest request appears entirely reasonable, when viewed in isolation, you may take into account the anticipated burden of those future requests when assessing burden.”

It is the cumulative burden of your requests over a sustained period, and the likelihood that the pattern will continue, that is central to our decision that the exemption rightfully applies to these latest cases. Since September 2022 we have a record of 48 separate requests having been received from yourself, most of which have been answered positively with information provided. This is a rate of almost two requests per month, every month for over two years. Many of these requests serve a personal interest which carry a limited wider public interest. It is also the case that your latest three requests were submitted within days of each other, with new requests submitted before we had a chance to answer the previous one. Given all of this, and in light of the passages cited above from the ICO guidance, we see no public interest in expending the necessary resource to answer this latest set of requests.

Please note, we appreciate it was not your intention to cause a disproportionate burden on TfL and any future requests you submit will be treated on their merits, in context, and in accordance with the relevant legislation. If you do choose to submit future requests, please take account of the guidance cited above and here (and in particular the ‘top tips’ section), and please think carefully about what information is of most importance to you. Please also restrict any requests submitted to the FOI team to requests for specific, recorded information only. More general questions and queries – such as requests for explanation or opinion – do not fall under the Freedom of Information Act and should instead be sent to our Customer Services team at: [email protected]

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely,

David Wells
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London