Follow on from FOI-3295-1819 Correction: Could you send me Croydon Tram onboard announcements , London Underground, DLR , TfL Rail and Mind The Gap announcements by email please? I am sorry for any inconveniences that may caused.

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FOI Request – FOI-3296-1819

Thank you for your email received on 3 March 2019, asking for Croydon Tramlink, London Underground, DLR, TfL Rail and Mind the Gap announcements.

Your request has been processed in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and TfL’s information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require.

Please find enclosed a CD containing Tramlink, TfL Rail and some London Underground announcements, including Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly (JNP).

The Northern line audio files contain historical as well as current announcements. You will note the Piccadilly line announcements are supplied as PCC files which may need specialist software to play them. This format is the only version we currently have available.

Please also note that while the Jubilee and Piccadilly announcements are recorded as full statements specifically for each station, Northern line announcements are recorded as segmented phrases joined into full sentences by the train management system (TMS).

However, in accordance with the FOI Act, TfL is not obliged to supply the audio files for the rest of the London Underground, including the specific Mind the Gap announcement, as the information is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 43(2).

In this instance section 43(2) has been applied as disclosure of the information requested would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of TfL and/or Global Services Ltd. Unlike the JNP recordings that were supplied by Ketech, the rest of the recordings were provided to London Underground from Global Services Ltd under a signed contract which contained explicit conditions concerning disclosure and distribution.

The contract specifies that the recordings are solely to be used for the purpose for which they were created and for broadcast on the London Underground network only. If TfL were to disclose these recordings in response to an FOI request, it would constitute an actionable breach of contract and would be likely to result in a valid legal claim against London Underground or the license to use the recordings being withdrawn, which would impose additional, unnecessary, costs. TfL wishes to protect its commercial interests and ability to participate in future commercial activity. The disclosure of this information would be to the detriment of present and future business activities for both parties.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned.  TfL recognises the need for openness and transparency within public authorities and the degree of public interest concerning London transport announcements in light of the disclosure of iBus announcements. However, in this instance this is outweighed by the damage that would be done to TfL’s ability to use these recordings and any future contractual negotiations that may take place regarding the London Underground announcements.

In regard to the DLR audio announcements, we do not hold this information. The on train announcements for the DLR are not held in any central repository and are not ‘recorded’ as such. These are done digitally as needed by typing them into a system, combining previously typed announcements where necessary. It is therefore not possible to provide an audio recording, as requested. The station announcements are held on a central system but not in a form that allows them to be distributed.

Please note that while access to the announcements has been provided to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, you are not granted any rights to any of the intellectual property that exists in it or granted any permission to make secondary uses of it. TfL owns all intellectual property (including, without limitation, copyright) in the material supplied and will defend such rights.

If you wish to make any secondary use of the material provided, you must first obtain the consent of TfL (which may be withheld) and, if consent is granted, a fee may be charged, in accordance with the terms of the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the enclosed 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

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

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