TfL Ref: 3122-1920
 
Thank you for your request received by us on 16 January 2020 asking for information about the London Transport Museum and fatalities on the London Underground network.
 
Your request has 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. You asked for the following:
 
I would like to obtain the following data and exchanges in relation to repatriation or restitution requests (any formal request by a nation or group for the return of objects in the museum’s possession).
 
Please provide the data for the following for the calendar years 2016 to 2019, beginning 1 January 2016 and ending 31 December 2019.
 
I can advise that there have been no repatriation or restitution requests for any objects within the London Transport Museum collection during the above requested period of 2016 to 2019.
 
1. The total number of fatalities on London Underground lines, broken down by year.
Please see the requested information within the table below.

Line | Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 Total
Bakerloo 3 2 2 2 9
C&H 2 6 1 1 10
Central 13 14 10 8 45
District 2 1 3 3 9
Jubilee 1 4 4 6 15
Metropolitan 3 1 2 4 10
Northern 7 9 6 7 29
Piccadilly 4 7 6 2 19
Victoria 4 7 7 7 25
W&C 1       1
Total 40 51 41 40 172
 
2. The cause of death, as far as can be ascertained, for the above, broken down by year. For example, subheadings might be suicide, sudden death due to illness or medical conditions, accidents resulting in death, industrial accidents, and crimes resulting in death.
 
We publish the information we hold relating to cause of death within our annual health and safety performance reports, which are available on the TfL website at https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/health-safety-and-environment. Therefore, in accordance with section 21 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to provide the information requested in question two as it is accessible to you elsewhere.

TfL's first priority is the safety of all customers, staff and others travelling or working on the network. Up to five million customer journeys are made on the Tube each day and each year over 1.38 billion passenger journeys are made. We design and operate our station to ensure that we provide a safe travelling environment for our customers. Our stations are staffed by experienced teams who are trained to intervene and respond to our customers needs. There are also more police officers on the network working closely with local staff to support customers. All stations have staff on duty when services are running, and almost all stations are gated to prevent unauthorised access. TfL continually runs a campaign to reduce accidents by encouraging customers to take care when using the network.
 
Most of the fatalities that occur on our network do so as a result of suicide and significant work has gone into reducing this number through our suicide prevention programme which has seen our staff doubling the number of interventions in a year. A number of agencies across London, including TfL, the emergency services and the Samaritans, work together to understand the risk factors, the current response and, how as a whole system we can reduce the number of people who try to take their own lives. Staff on the Tube are trained to help them identify potentially vulnerable customers, safely intervene and provide appropriate support. The training programme enables staff to identify vulnerable passengers and provides advice on how to deal with situations. This training has helped double the number of suicide interventions on the Tube.TfL also works closely with the British Transport Police, who provide links between vulnerable people found on the network and specialist care and support delivered by health and local authority teams.
 
You may also be interested to know we set up the Sarah Hope line to provide comprehensive help and support to people injured during, or affected by, a serious incident involving any of our services. The helpline, staffed by a dedicated TfL support team, provide a range of practical and emotional help to those affected, including helping with travel, accommodation and other needs following an incident. This also includes referral to a number of specialised support services, including counselling, where there is an identifiable need for additional support. More information can be found here .
 
Please also note that section 22 provides an exemption to the release of information where it is due for publication at a future date and where, in all the circumstances of the case, it is reasonable to withhold it until publication.  I can confirm that information relating to the 2019/20 financial year will be published in a forthcoming health and safety annual report once information across the full financial year has been collated and this intention to publish predates your request.
 
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 and the particular public interest in disclosure of this information. However in this instance, it is considered that the public interest favours the publication of this information, in context and according to the pre-determined schedule, rather than in response to your request, to ensure the information is provided accurately and in an accessible manner.
 
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.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
Information Governance
Transport For London