Request ID: FOI-3587-2223 Date published: 27 April 2023
You asked
In regards the cost query originally raised on 13 Feb please can you provide the cost of the work now clarified on 28 Mar by TfL and by yourselves previously i.e.
1. cost of the digging of the pier/pit blocks in Chalk Farm station
2. the project or unit cost per metre for bullhead rail replacement with flat bottom in the tunnels either side of Chalk Farm station
Once these have been answered I will consider this FoI closed most agreeably and request you update the website with just the final answers so we can move on here.
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-3587-2223
Thank you for your email of 30th March 2023.
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 some of the information you require. Your questions are answered in turn below:
Question 1: Cost of the digging of the pier/pit blocks in Chalk Farm station
Answer: This was not part of the recent work. So far as we have been able to ascertain, such work was last carried out at this location when Chalk Farm platform was re-conditioned in 2012.
Question 2: The project or unit cost per metre for bullhead rail replacement with flat bottom in the tunnels either side of Chalk Farm station?
Answer: This information is exempt from disclosure under section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which can apply where release of information would prejudice commercial interests. The exemption applies in this instance because information released under FOI is considered to be to the world at large rather than the individual applicant. The work referred to was undertaken by contractors, as is other similar work elsewhere on the network. It would not be in TfL’s commercial interests to reveal how much we pay for such work, as this would adversely affect our ability to negotiate the best value for such work in the future. It would also prejudice the interests of the contractor in their negotiations for similar work if it were known how much TfL paid them for such work.
Section 43 is a “qualified” exemption, meaning it is subject to consideration of the Public Interest Test, to determine whether the greater public interest rests in applying the exemption and withholding the information, or in releasing it in any case. We appreciate the need for openness and transparency in the operation of our business, and the fact that you have requested the information is in itself an argument for release. However, in this instance we believe the overall balance of public interest lies in the exemption applying. TfL is largely funded by public money in the form of grants and fares. As with any publicly funded body, we have a duty to secure the best value for the public purse. We therefore believe the balance of interest rests in the exemption applying in order secure the best value when procuring any such works in the future.
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
