Request ID: FOI-3127-2324 Date published: 03 January 2024
You asked
1. In 2022/23 and this financial year, how many times have escalators at Walthamstow station been out of service? Please specify how many times per year, which escalator and any reason for their being out of service.
2. Please specify, in 2022/23 and this financial year, how many days have the lifts been out of service for? Please specify how many times per year, which lift and any reason for it being out of service.
3. Please provide any contextual information held, in original form, which might explain why the escalators and lifts are repeatedly breaking (2022/23 and this financial year). If this is not possible please alternatively provide this in summary.
4. Please indicate whether information TfL holds about the lifts and escalators at Walthamstow Central Station is publicly accessible and if so where.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-3127-2324
Thank you for your request received on 1 December 2023 regarding Walthamstow Central Station. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require. Like all of our assets such as trains and track, we have a continual programme of maintenance and renewal of our lifts and escalators across our network to ensure they are reliable and safe to use for our customers. Our lifts receive a routine maintenance check every two weeks, a full examination and test every six months, and a partial refurbishment every five years. Lifts are typically due to be fully replaced every 10 to 20 years, depending on the type of machine. Due to the nature of the work and confined working space, replacement and refurbishment can take a number of months to complete. Escalator and lift replacement and refurbishment works can be a lengthy process due to the size and difficulty of the task. We continue to look at ways to reduce the amount of disruption to our customers while we undertake lift and escalator works. For example, we will sometimes replace more than one lift at a time to reduce the overall time they are unavailable when removing one lift makes the other lift redundant. We also continue to invest in vital improvements to our transport network including making more stations fully accessible across London. When a lift is out of service station staff will take the following actions:
Station staff notify the London Underground Control Centre– they aim to publish the information on the TfL website within five minutes of being notified, this includes Journey Planner and TfL Go
Display a poster explaining that the lift is out of service
Inform adjacent stations to the station affected (for step-free stations this would be the closest alternative step-free stations)
Display the information on the train operators’ boards so that on-train announcements can be made advising customers of alternative routes
Use general information boards to inform customers a lift is out of service to enable them to take alternative routes
We will work to reinstate the lift as soon as possible. You asked:
In 2022/23 and this financial year, how many times have escalators at Walthamstow station been out of service? Please specify how many times per year, which escalator and any reason for their being out of service.
Escalator 1
Escalator 3
2022-23
4
8
2023-24 (up to 11/11/23)
20
23
Both escalators at Walthamstow Central station are having reliability issues due to their age. We have assessed the issues causing them to be out of use and have ordered the parts needed to refurbish both escalators. We carry a limited number of parts to cover unplanned failures across our network, once we identify an issue remedial work is planned and any necessary parts ordered. Replacement wheels are currently on a nine month lead due to material challenges within our supply chain, once we receive this stock, we will be undertaking a change out of any remaining effected items which will improve the reliability of these assets. Please note that this data is based on the escalator itself being the root cause of the asset being out of service. Therefore other causes that have meant the asset is out of service are not included (e.g. customer vandalism, power failure).
Please specify, in 2022/23 and this financial year, how many days have the lifts been out of service for? Please specify how many times per year, which lift and any reason for it being out of service.
Lift 1
Fault
Lift 2
Fault
2022-23
2
Hydraulic pump failure Door Bracket failure
1
Nut package replacement
2023-24 (to November 2023)
1
Hydraulic Valve Block Overhaul
0
Please provide any contextual information held, in original form, which might explain why the escalators and lifts are repeatedly breaking (2022/23 and this financial year). If this is not possible please alternatively provide this in summary
Please see reasons listed above. The issues referred to in response to question two have now been resolved.
Please indicate whether information TfL holds about the lifts and escalators at Walthamstow Central Station is publicly accessible and if so where.
