TfL Ref: 2829-1920

Thank you for your request received by us on 16 December 2019 asking for information about step-free access stations in relation to the content published in our Step Free Tube Guides (SFTG).

The following part of your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. The remainder will be addressed directly by our Legal team I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require.

Your current request for information quotes part of a previous response that was sent as follows:

You wrote, " I note that you also have not offered to correct the omission in question on the Step-free tube guide (SFTG), only given a justification for its omission. The reasoning for this is that the lift from Ticket Hall B up to Paddington Rail station/street level is owned and operated by Network Rail and would form part of a step free access route. This is the only lift providing step free access to this section of the station. Unfortunately, TfL has no control over the operation of this lift and cannot guarantee it’s working order. For this reason, this route is not detailed on the SFTG.

In relation to this assertion, I would like to request documentation of how and when this decision was made and by whom. I would like to know how the adverse impact of this decision to disabled people was weighed against the supposed benefit to TfL of its omission. If you do not provide this information, I will be requesting it during disclosure should the case go to court.

There are no specific documentation in respect of your request relating to the decision making process in respect of the SFTG. However, we explain below the process we follow when considering the SFTG and any amendments to it.

As mentioned in our previous reply, lifts which are owned and operated by third parties such as Network Rail or Train Operating Companies, are not in Transport for London’s control and therefore we cannot guarantee their operation. Nor can we guarantee that we will be made aware in a timely manner when these facilities are not working. Therefore some of these lifts are not included in the Step Free Tube Guide to avoid disadvantaging customers. However, as detailed below every station is different as are the facilities and access to the services available. Where the lifts provide joint access to TfL and Network Rail services there is an imperative on Network Rail/the rail operator to ensure the working order of the relevant lifts.
Where possible we ask third parties such as Network Rail to inform us when their lifts go out of or return to service. Unfortunately such messages are not always forwarded on efficiently. We are exploring ways in which we can improve communication between TfL and third parties to ensure this information can be cascaded to our staff and customers promptly and with consistency across our various platforms such as Journey Planner, Electronic Information Display Boards and local station information such as white board posters.

The process for how decisions regarding maps and customer information are made is explained below:

Bi-monthly Maps Steering meetings where new maps and changes to maps are agreed upon are attended by a number of internal stakeholders. There are various subject matter experts in the team who are consulted and advise on map detail such as Manual Boarding Ramps (MBRs). Any concerns and discrepancies would be typically escalated, ultimately to our Head of Customer Information Design & Partnerships who in turn would seek input from other senior members of staff where needed.

We have noted the matters of concern outlined in your correspondence and acknowledge that that we need to review our internal processes to ensure there is alignment and consistency in the information we publicise on step-free access. This also includes reviewing the decision to exclude some third party lifts from our SFTG and considering whether the customer benefit in awareness of additional non-TfL operated lifts on the network, outweighs the detriment of these lifts either not working or not being reported to us in a timely manner. We typically seek accessibility stakeholder feedback through the Independent Disability Advisory Group (IDAG) panel (a panel of independent disability consultants appointed to advise and inform best practice with regard to accessibility across the business) on the publication of new maps and major changes to existing maps to ensure that we are taking the best approach. We will consult IDAG for their views on this too.

We remain committed to providing the public with as much information as possible on step-free access so customers can make informed decisions when travelling across the TfL network.

Also, in relation to this assertion, could you please tell me why the following step-free routes are included on the SFTG? I believe some or all of the lifts for these step-free routes are owned and/or operated by Network Rail or C2C. Can you confirm who owns and operates the lifts at these stations?
Waterloo (Waterloo & City Line)
We have a lift operated and maintained by TfL that serves arrivals at Platform 25 only, as referenced in the notes on the STFG. This route is not indicated on the map layout itself as it is not complaint to Rail Vehicle Access Regulations (RVAR) due to the incline of the fixed ramp.
Liverpool Street Station
The lift is owned and maintained by Network Rail and provides a step free route shown in the SFTG eastbound to Platform One only.
West Ham
We operate and maintain the Jubilee, District, Hammersmith & City and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) Platforms and the lifts serving these services. The train operator, C2C is responsible for the station’s mainline services and platforms as well as the lifts serving them.
East Ham
There are two lifts at this station which are maintained by TfL.
Barking
This station is operated and maintained by rail operator C2C, inclusive of the lift providing access from the ticket hall level down to the eastbound District Line platform and the London Overground terminating platform, as indicated in the Guide notes. As the station serves all three networks, including their own there is an imperative on C2C to ensure the lift is maintained and in service.
Blackhorse Road Overground
The station is operated by TfL, however Network Rail owns and manages all of the lifts. TfL staff are trained to report any issues with the lifts directly to the Network Rail helpdesk. Due to size and layout of this station TfL staff are able to monitor the lift operation and/or be would be made aware of any issues with the lifts.
Watford Junction
Lifts at this station are owned and maintained by London Northwestern. London Overground customers can access the lifts between the station subway and Platform Six.
There is also level access from Platform Six to the London Overground Platforms One to Four. As the lifts are used to access all services from this station there is an imperative on London Northwestern to ensure their operation.

Also, could you please provide detail on which lifts are owned and operated by TfL at Stratford station and which are on the SFTG and which have been left off because they are not TfL lifts?

All of the lifts at Stratford are maintained by TfL Rail.

I would also like to know why @TfLAccess on Twitter is providing information about this step-free route when the lift is not owned or operated by TfL. Please see this tweet:
https://twitter.com/TfLAccess/status/1205631077731188737
TfL Access
@TfLAccess
Paddington station: Lift providing step free access is now back in service to the clockwise Circle and eastbound District line platform.
11:30 PM · Dec 13, 2019·Clarabridge Engage
(see attached screenshot)
And why this information is being supplied right now, on Saturday 14 December 2019 on the TfL website in the Stations section of the Status updates page:
https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/#stations-status
Paddington: No Step Free Access - Step free access is not available between the National Rail station and the clockwise Circle and District line platform. Call our Travel Information Centre on 0343 222 1234 if you need help planning your journey.
(see attached screenshot)

As explained above, where possible we ask third parties such as Network Rail to inform us when their lifts go out of or return to service and we can then pass on information to our customers. In this instance the information would have been provided to us by Network Rail and this was communicated to customers by our Twitter feed for awareness. Although we are not able to trace the initial report made to us regarding the lift at Paddington linking to the Network Rail station that you specifically refer to, if a report of a lift break down is made to us we would seek to communicate this to the public and our customers to assist them with their journey planning in real time.
We are also currently reviewing our use of social media platforms as we are concerned that they are not always the best channel for distributing real-time information accurately. For example Twitter used to present messages in chronological order, whereas Twitter now surfaces messages based on the volume of user engagement rather than whether it is the latest information. For this reason Twitter sometimes presents out of date information above a more recent message. We recommend that customers use our Travel Tools page www.tfl.gov.uk/travel-tools as the best source for accurate real-time information.
By way of some further background information on this matter, we have developed a staff tool called the London Underground Stations Real Time Information (RTI) app which enables frontline staff on the network to record when TfL maintained lifts are taken out of, and re-entered into, service quickly and easily. Recording these outages on the Real Time Information RTI app is designed to triggers a number of other near-real time updates such as updates to Journey Planner and Electronic Service Update Boards in station ticket halls. This tool was developed to improve the quality and consistency of our real-time information. As explained above, unfortunately there is currently no way of recording the status of third party lifts (belonging to Network Rail and Train Operating Companies) in the Station RTI app.
There are also a number of other accessibility initiatives in the pipeline to improve our real-time information relating to lifts and lift outages. We know lift outages impact customers negatively immediately and are keen to improve the quality, consistency and speed with which we share this information across our various customer information channels and touch-points so customers can make informed decisions about their journeys.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any 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
Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
Information Governance
Transport For London