TfL has based the seating arrangement, capacity and lack of toilets on Elizabeth Line (EL) Class 345 trains on a statement that the average journey time that customers will make will be 20 minutes. Please provide a breakdown of the figures used and calculations made in order to arrive at the 20 minute figure, to include details of the number of customers using each EL station, the average length of journeys made from each EL station and the source of these statistics.

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TfL Ref: FOI-2850-1920 and FOI-2851-1920

Thank you for your requests received by Transport for London (TfL) on 20^th December 2019 asking for information about the Elizabeth Line.

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

I can confirm that we hold the information you require. Your questions are answered in turn below:

Question 1: TfL has based the seating arrangement, capacity and lack of toilets on Elizabeth Line (EL) Class 345 trains on a statement that the average journey time that customers will make will be 20 minutes. Please provide a breakdown of the figures used and calculations made in order to arrive at the 20 minute figure, to include details of the number of customers using each EL station, the average length of journeys made from each EL station and the source of these statistics.

Answer: The average journey time for passengers using Elizabeth Line services is forecast to be 17 minutes at peak times and 18 minutes at off peak times. To give these figures some context they correspond to the expected actual journey time between Hayes & Harlington and Paddington. This figure is arrived at using 2026 and 2031 passenger demand projections assuming the full final Elizabeth line service pattern with all routes open. The forecast is produced using TfL’s passenger demand forecasting tool, “Railplan”, of which more detail is available here http://content.tfl.gov.uk/londons-strategic-transport-models.pdf Passenger boardings and passenger minutes are calculated for passengers using all Elizabeth line services, and then passenger minutes divided by boardings to give the average time. The 20 minute figure would be these times rounded up. Note that we don’t have data available for the average passenger journey time from each station – that level of disaggregation is not easily available and would take a number of weeks to produce.

Question 2: It has been stated by TfL that toilets have not been provided on board class 345 Elizabeth Line (EL) trains because "this would displace approximately 600 passengers per hour". Please provide a breakdown of the calculations used in order to arrive at this figure.

Answer: Capacity for 12.5 passengers per train would be removed through the provision of a toilet (this equates to the space required to provide a toilet for passengers with reduced mobility needs). Assuming the peak level of service of 24 trains per hour in each direction (48 trains in total), 600 passengers would be displaced in total (48 x 12.5).

Question 3: Please also confirm that this figure is based upon a service frequency of 24 trains per hour through the central core section of EL, therefore equating to 2.7 people displaced per carriage in a 9 carriage train. If not, what service frequency has the figure been based upon?

Answer: See answer to question 2 above.

Question 4: Please also provide details of all EL stations that will have toilet facilities, on which platform (east/westbound) they will be located and how passengers on board EL trains will be made aware of which stations have toilet facilities - will this information be shown on the information display screens in carriages or in audible announcements?

Answer: Please see the attached spreadsheet (note that you may need to expand the width of some columns to see the data in full). Toilet provision information is and will be available through: TfL Station information pages; the TfL Toilet Tube Map, and; the National Rail Enquiries station facilities page.

Question 5: Please also give details of how a customer in a wheelchair who finds the need to use a toilet during a trip on a EL train can (a) know which stations have disabled toilet facilities and (b) get off the train at a stop that they are not scheduled to make, if they will require a ramp in order to alight.

Answer: As stated above, toilet provision information, including accessible toilet provision, is and will be available through: TfL Station information pages; the TfL Toilet Tube Map, and; the National Rail Enquiries station facilities page. Further, customers in wheelchairs, who find the need to use a toilet during a trip on the Elizabeth line, at a station that they are not scheduled to alight from can use the emergency aid button on the train to contact the driver. They will in-turn liaise with control/station staff to assist with the passenger alighting from the train to use the facilities. Also, our Travel Safe Officers that work on our trains are briefed to be aware of vulnerable persons and their needs. They are trained to use the on-board ramp to help assist a customer off a train as required.

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,

David Wells

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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