Request ID: FOI-3148-2223 Date published: 21 March 2023
You asked
Follow-on from FOI-2696-2223:
1. A tabular summary of the number of fatalities that occurred on London underground (tube) from calendar year 2018 to 2022? Please also break down the annual number of fatalities by the causes of death (suicide, trespass, accidental, crime-related, medical, etc.) and by the tube lines (Bakerloo, Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, etc.).
2. Transport for London's (TfL) safety procedure and/or measures to prevent deadly incidents from occurring on London tube as well as support provided by TfL for staff affected by deadly incidents and for family or friends of victims of the incidents.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-3148-2223
Thank you for your revised request received on 26 February 2023 asking for information about fatalities on the London Underground.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy.
We provide training to our staff on how to identify and give the appropriate support to any customers who appear to be in mental/emotional distress or who are acting in a way which would identify them as high risk of accessing the track. We have developed training material based on industry best practice to give staff even more knowledge about the signs to look out for and the confidence to intervene. We also work with Network Rail and other train operating companies to share information and approaches to managing incidents of prohibited track access on the railway.
We work closely with the British Transport Police (BTP) and the emergency services to ensure a coordinated response to incidents. London Underground has introduced a ‘blue light’ response for the Emergency Response Unit with a police driver supplied by the BTP. We also have the Network Incident Response Team which includes a BTP Police Medical Officer with a London Underground Network Incident Response Manager. There has been a notable improvement in medical intervention in these cases which enables paramedic first aid to be given on site and enhance the survival rate.
For our staff, we have an established Trauma Support Group (TSG), which is a network of 140 volunteers who are front line operational staff trained and supervised to provide support to staff members affected by an incident. Comprehensive help and support is also available for the friends and family of anyone injured during, or affected by, a serious incident involving TfL services, via The Sarah Hope Line (0343 222 5678).
Please note that in accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply any details regarding fatalities on the London Underground network or our measures to prevent these incidents. This information is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under Section 38 - Health & Safety, particularly sections 38(1)(a) and 38(1)(b) which focus on endangerment to physical or mental health and the safety of any individual.
One of TfL’s utmost priorities is ensuring the safety of the general public when traveling on our network. Whilst we make no suggestion that you would use this information for anything other than you own personal interest, disclosure of this information to you has to be regarded as a disclosure to ‘the public at large’ and so we must consider the possible impact from disclosure of any information we may hold regarding the information you have requested
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, but in this instance we feel that ensuring the protection of vulnerable people, passengers and staff puts the balance in favour of withholding the information. The application of this exemption has previously been upheld by the First Tier Tribunal, it may be helpful for you to read the decision notice:
We publish some information on the number of deaths that have occurred across our network in our quarterly Health, Safety, & Environment Reports which are published on our website:
