Request ID: FOI-3196-2223 Date published: 02 March 2023
You asked
I've been advised that apparently I can register for access to the TfL share point where various automated announcement files are held? If so, could you please add me?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-3196-2223
Thank you for your request of 27th February 2023 asking for access to our repository of announcement files.
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 have received an email separately that provides a link to the requested audio announcements. However, please be aware that, unfortunately, at the moment the ShareFile site which hosts these recordings is suffering from a technical glitch which has meant that some non-Microsoft accounts (such as Gmail) are not being able to access them. We are currently working on this with a view to resolving it as quickly as possible but if you would like immediate access it would require you to create a Microsoft account (Outlook, Hotmail etc) and we can add you to the permissions list via that account where you will then be able to access the announcements as usual.
Please note that all of the audio announcements across the full TfL network that we are currently able to provide access to are accessible via this site. However, please be aware that many of the audio announcements that can be heard across the network are actually made up of smaller, fragmented recordings which are then combined for the purposes of public announcements so there will be some instances where full recordings of specific stop/station names, numbers or locations are not held. Please also be aware that we are unable to provide full access to audio announcements across the London Underground network because of contractual prohibitions on disclosure which means these are exempt from disclosure in accordance with section 43(2) of the FOI Act. We do not consider it in the public interest to breach these contractual obligations for the purposes of disclosure given that there is limited wider public interest in this material to support that. Those that we are able to provide can be found at the link provided.
Lastly, we intend to update these files on a six monthly basis and so any newer recordings will be uploaded as part of this pre-determined schedule, rather than in response to specific future FOI requests. This is to ensure our resources can be managed effectively. Therefore, if you are aware of newer recordings that have been created that are not yet uploaded, we would appreciate your patience with this as requests for these recordings will be refused under section 22 of the FOI Act on the basis that there is a pre-existing intention to publish these in accordance with our publication schedule. We would therefore encourage you to wait for this upload rather than submit requests for recordings in this way. To confirm, these updates are expected to occur around January and July of each year.
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
