Bank DLR escalator closure

Our Ref : 1006133065

Date : 20.03.2010

Not given G Sittampalam

[FOI #29962 email]

Dear Ganesh

Thank you for your email received by London Underground on 2 March. You
asked for information about crowding at Bank station.

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act and I can confirm that there isn't a specific report or
plan that meets the description provided, however I can provide the
information below which I hope is useful.

Safety is, and must be, our top priority at all times and all aspects of
it are overseen by Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate (part of the
Office of the Rail Regulator).

All our stations are monitored by experienced staff, usually via extensive
CCTV. If staff believe their station is dangerously overcrowded, they can
take the decision to close it until customers have dispersed. We don’t
take such decisions lightly, as they often just move the crowd somewhere
else, usually the busy streets outside.

Although crowding on our network is rarely dangerous, we know it’s
uncomfortable and we are doing what we can to tackle the problem, but
it’s not as easy as it might seem. On most of our lines most of the
time, we run as many trains as close together as our current signal
systems will safely allow. Yet we many million customer journeys every day
and demand for our services continues to grow. As part of the massive
programme of investment in and renewal of the Tube, which you may be aware
of, we’re in the planning stages of the massive undertaking of a new,
network wide signal system. This allow us to run more trains closer
together, decreasing journey and waiting times as well as increasing the
capacity of our network and so reducing crowding.

If you have any further questions on the specific works at Bank station or
I can help further, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0845 330
9880.

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

Shirley Xavier

Customer Services Centre

Your right to appeal

If you are dissatisfied with the way TfL has handled your information
request, you can ask us to conduct an internal review of our decision. The
internal review will be conducted by someone who was not involved in the
processing of your original request, in accordance with the complaints
procedure published on our website at www.tfl.gov.uk/foi

Requests for internal review should be addressed to:

Head of Information Access and Compliance

Floor 5, Windsor House

42-50 Victoria Street

London

SW1H 0TL

E-mail: [email address]

Complaints to the Information Commissioner

If, following theinternal review, you remain dissatisfied with the way TfL
has handled your request, then you can take your complaint to:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

A complaint form is available on the Information Commissioner’s Office
website at

[1]www.ico.gov.uk

Copyright

Any copyright in the material provided with this response is owned by TfL
or one of its subsidiary companies unless otherwise stated. The disclosure
of information does not give the person or organisation who receives it an
automatic right to re-use it in a way that would otherwise infringe
copyright (for example, by making copies, publishing it, or issuing copies
to the public). Brief extracts of the material may be reproduced under the
fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998
(sections 29 and 30) for the purposes of research for non-commercial
purposes, private study, criticism, review and news reporting. In respect
of use for criticism, review and news reporting, any reproduction must be
accompanied by an acknowledgement that TfL or one of its subsidiary
companies is the copyright owner.

Re-use

If you would like to re-use the information supplied with this response
please contact TfL using the details provided in the attached letter.
Requests for re-use will be considered in accordance with the Re-use of
Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

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****** THIS IS AN AUTOMATED RESPONSE FROM LONDON UNDERGROUND'S CUSTOMER
SERVICE CENTRE - PLEASE DO NOT REPLY ******

Thank you for your comments. Your email has been successfully delivered.

We will deal with this matter as quickly as we can and aim to send you a
reply within 10 days.

Depending on the nature of the matter however, it may take longer than 10
days to investigate and respond to you. If this is the case we will keep
you updated until we are able to respond fully, once the investigation has
been done. If you need to contact us in the meantime, you can call us on
0845 330 9880. We are open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm.

show quoted sections

Our ref: 1006133065

Date: 23.03.2010

Dear Ganesh

Thank you for your further email and I hope the following clarification is
useful.

I can confirm that each station has a congestion control emergency plan
and this is revised whenever any work is completed and is not soley for
the escalator work . I have approached the holder of this document and
will contact you again when I receive a updated from them.

If you want to discuss your request or have any further concerns please
contact me on 0845 3309880.

Yours sincerely

Shirley Xavier
Customer Service Centre

If you wish to reply directly to this email, please click on the reply
button on your toolbar. Please do not alter or delete the subject line as
this will result in your email not being delivered.

To improve our service we would very much like your feedback and we would
be grateful if you would complete our brief and confidential Customer
Satisfaction Survey. To access the survey [1]click here.

If you wish to contact us with a new or unrelated query or look at our
Frequently Asked Questions, please [2]click here

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Original Text

From: [FOI #29962 email]
To: [email address] <[email address]>
CC:
Sent: 20.03.10 22:02:17
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Bank DLR escalator closure

Dear Transport for London,

Thanks for your mail.

Just to make sure I understand your answer correctly, you made no
plans to deal with the effects of the escalator closures at Bank?

Yours faithfully,

Ganesh Sittampalam

show quoted sections

****** THIS IS AN AUTOMATED RESPONSE FROM LONDON UNDERGROUND'S CUSTOMER
SERVICE CENTRE - PLEASE DO NOT REPLY ******

Thank you for your comments. Your email has been successfully delivered.

We will deal with this matter as quickly as we can and aim to send you a
reply within 10 days.

Depending on the nature of the matter however, it may take longer than 10
days to investigate and respond to you. If this is the case we will keep
you updated until we are able to respond fully, once the investigation has
been done. If you need to contact us in the meantime, you can call us on
0845 330 9880. We are open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm.

show quoted sections

22 April 2010

Our ref: IRV-008-0910

Dear Ganesh

Thank you for your email in which you submitted a complaint about the time taken to respond to your FOI request.

Your concerns will be considered as part of a review of your request. The review will be undertaken in accordance with the attached procedure and will be completed by 19 May 2010.

I hope this information is of assistance. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this matter.

Yours sincerely
 

Matthew Towey | Compliance Adviser
Information Access & Compliance Team | Corporate Governance | Transport for London
5th Floor, Windsor House, 42-50 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL
T: 020 7126 3063/ auto 63063

show quoted sections

Our Ref : 1006133065

Date : 11.05.2010

G Sittampalam

[FOI #29962 email]

Dear Ganesh

Thank you for your email dated 20 March received by London Underground.
You have asked for the emergency plans for Bank station.

Your request has been dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act and I can confirm we do hold the information
you requested. However, we are not obliged to supply the information as
it is subject to the following statutory exemption to the right of access
to information:

o Section 38 Health and Safety

We are applying this exemption because there is a concern that the
information contained would allow individuals to gain an understanding on
the rationale used to make decisions across the network, with regard to
station closures and network operation.

The Tube is an open transport system by necessity and the ability to
prevent acts of terrorism is limited by this. It is therefore essential,
and in the best interests of all customers that as much is done to make
planning for such acts as difficult as possible with the consequential
positive effect on health and safety risks. This information contained in
these plans could be used to disrupt emergency procedures in place and the
impact and ability to operate stations and trains safely.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public
interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We
appreciate that there are concerns about the level of works being
undertaken at Bank station and overcrowding at this station and the public
has an interest in the procedures we have in place to ensure the safety of
those travelling on our service. However we must balance this interest
in ensuring the safety of customers and staff, the factors for disclosing
the plan are are heavily outweighed by the public interest in ensuring
that detailed disclosure of our emergency plans do lead to a reduction in
the effectiveness of these plans.

Whilst I cannot provide the specific document you are looking for, I am
keen to help where I can and if you have any specific questions or
concerns about the works at Bank please let me know and I will try to
assist where possible.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal.

Yours sincerely

Your right to appeal

If you are dissatisfied with the way TfL has handled your information
request, you can ask us to conduct an internal review of our decision. The
internal review will be conducted by someone who was not involved in the
processing of your original request, in accordance with the complaints
procedure published on our website at www.tfl.gov.uk/foi

Requests for internal review should be addressed to:

Head of Information Access and Compliance

Floor 5, Windsor House

42-50 Victoria Street

London

SW1H 0TL

E-mail: [email address]

Complaints to the Information Commissioner

If, following the internal review, you remain dissatisfied with the way
TfL has handled your request, then you can take your complaint to:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

A complaint form is available on the Information Commissioner’s Office
website at

[1]www.ico.gov.uk

Copyright

Any copyright in the material provided with this response is owned by TfL
or one of its subsidiary companies unless otherwise stated. The disclosure
of information does not give the person or organisation who receives it an
automatic right to re-use it in a way that would otherwise infringe
copyright (for example, by making copies, publishing it, or issuing copies
to the public). Brief extracts of the material may be reproduced under the
fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998
(sections 29 and 30) for the purposes of research for non-commercial
purposes, private study, criticism, review and news reporting. In respect
of use for criticism, review and news reporting, any reproduction must be
accompanied by an acknowledgement that TfL or one of its subsidiary
companies is the copyright owner.

Re-use

If you would like to re-use the information supplied with this response
please contact TfL using the details provided in the attached letter.
Requests for re-use will be considered in accordance with the Re-use of
Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

DO NOT DELETE.............................
{ticketno:[782071]}
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Original Text

From: [email address]
To: request-29962-846b9c97@whatdotheykn
<[email address]>
CC:
Sent: 23.03.10 18:16:53
Subject: RE: RE: Freedom of Information request - Bank DLR escalator
closure

Our ref: 1006133065

Date: 23.03.2010

Dear Ganesh

Thank you for your further email and I hope the following clarification is
useful.

I can confirm that each station has a congestion control emergency plan
and this is revised whenever any work is completed and is not soley for
the escalator work . I have approached the holder of this document and
will contact you again when I receive a updated from them.

If you want to discuss your request or have any further concerns please
contact me on 0845 3309880.

Yours sincerely

Shirley Xavier
Customer Service Centre

If you wish to reply directly to this email, please click on the reply
button on your toolbar. Please do not alter or delete the subject line as
this will result in your email not being delivered.

To improve our service we would very much like your feedback and we would
be grateful if you would complete our brief and confidential Customer
Satisfaction Survey. To access the survey [2]click here.

If you wish to contact us with a new or unrelated query or look at our
Frequently Asked Questions, please [3]click here

DO NOT DELETE.............................
{ticketno:[782071]}
DO NOT DELETE.............................

Original Text

From: [FOI #29962 email]
To: [email address] <[email address]>
CC:
Sent: 20.03.10 22:02:17
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Bank DLR escalator closure

Dear Transport for London,

Thanks for your mail.

Just to make sure I understand your answer correctly, you made no
plans to deal with the effects of the escalator closures at Bank?

Yours faithfully,

Ganesh Sittampalam

show quoted sections

13 May 2010

Our ref: IRV-008-0910

Dear Ganesh

The internal review of your Freedom of Information request has been
completed. The review was conducted by an internal review panel (‘the
Panel’) in accordance wit TfL’s internal review procedure.

The review considered the correspondence associated with your request and
noted that a response to your initial request was sent within 20 working
days but it took a further 6 weeks to consider the congestion control
emergency plan for disclosure. This delay was due to the business area
responsible for the information failing to update LU Customer Services on
whether the document could be disclosed or whether a exemption should be
sought to withhold the document.

On behalf of TfL, please accept my apologies for the way in which your
request was handled. The Panel asked that these failings be taken up with
LU. I can confirm that management within LU has been informed of the
findings of this review.  

Finally, the Panel noted that a further response was sent to you on 11 May
2010. If you are not happy with the response you can ask for it to be
reviewed.

I hope this information is of assistance. If you are dissatisfied with the
outcome of this internal review, you can refer the matter to the
independent authority responsible for enforcing the Freedom of Information
Act at the following address.

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

A complaint form is available on the ICO’s website ([1]www.ico.gov.uk).

Yours sincerely

Matthew Towey | Compliance Adviser
Information Access & Compliance Team | Corporate Governance | Transport
for London

5th Floor, Windsor House, 42-50 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL
T: 020 7126 3063/ auto 63063

--Original Message-----
From: FOI
Sent: 22 April 2010 11:27
To: '[FOI #29962 email]'
Subject: RE: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Bank DLR
escalator closure

22 April 2010

Our ref: IRV-008-0910

Dear Ganesh

Thank you for your email in which you submitted a complaint about the time
taken to respond to your FOI request.

Your concerns will be considered as part of a review of your request. The
review will be undertaken in accordance with the attached procedure and
will be completed by 19 May 2010.

I hope this information is of assistance. Please contact me if you would
like to discuss this matter.

Yours sincerely

 

Matthew Towey | Compliance Adviser

Information Access & Compliance Team | Corporate Governance | Transport
for London

5th Floor, Windsor House, 42-50 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL

T: 020 7126 3063/ auto 63063

show quoted sections

Our ref: IRV-017-1011

14^th May 2010

Dear Ganesh Sittampalam

Request for internal review

Thank you for your request for an internal review which was received by
Transport for London (TfL) on 14^th May 2010.

You have stated that you are dissatisfied with the handling of your
request for information under the Freedom of Information Act and with the
response you received.

The review will be conducted by an internal review panel in accordance
with TfL's Internal Review Procedure, which is:

[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/f...

Every effort will be made to provide you with a response by 14^th June
2010. However, if the review will not be completed by this date, we will
contact you and notify you of the revised response date as soon as
possible.

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me on the number given below.

Yours sincerely

Emma Flint

Compliance Adviser

E-mail: [2][email address]

Tel: 020 7126 3222

References

Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/f...
2. mailto:[email address]

Dear Ganesh Sittampalam

Further to my colleague's email I regret to inform you that the internal
review has not yet been undertaken. I will arrange for the review panel to
meet this week and provide you with the outcome by 19 June. Please accept
my apologies for this delay

Kind regards

Matthew Towey | Compliance Adviser
Information Access & Compliance Team | Corporate Governance | Transport
for London

5th Floor, Windsor House, 42-50 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL
T: 020 7126 3063/ auto 63063

From: FOI
Sent: 14 May 2010 15:38
To: '[FOI #29962 email]'
Subject: Request for internal review

Our ref: IRV-017-1011

14^th May 2010

Dear Ganesh Sittampalam

Request for internal review

Thank you for your request for an internal review which was received by
Transport for London (TfL) on 14^th May 2010.

You have stated that you are dissatisfied with the handling of your
request for information under the Freedom of Information Act and with the
response you received.

The review will be conducted by an internal review panel in accordance
with TfL's Internal Review Procedure, which is:

[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/f...

Every effort will be made to provide you with a response by 14^th June
2010. However, if the review will not be completed by this date, we will
contact you and notify you of the revised response date as soon as
possible.

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me on the number given below.

Yours sincerely

Emma Flint

Compliance Adviser

E-mail: [2][email address]

Tel: 020 7126 3222

References

Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/f...
2. mailto:[email address]

Dear Ganesh

Thank you for your email.

The review took place today and the review Panel considered the
information held in relation to your request. I can clarify that Bank
station has a Congestion Control & Emergency Plan, which contains a
section titled Congestion and Control Plan (CC&EP), which provides a
guideline for the management of crowds.

The CC&EP has a common template to add appendices for any planned
activities such as partial closures for refurbishment, sports and cultural
events. There is a current appendix for Repair and/or Replace Escalators
1, 2, 3, 8, 10 and 11 Phase II Station Refurbishment Works March 2010 to
November 2011.

Having looked again at the correspondence, it would appear that this
appendix would appear to the document most relevant to your request. The
department responsible for this document has concerns over its disclosure
for the same reasons as the CC&EP was withheld. We will discuss this
matter with them to see whether a redacted version can be provided to you.
Once these discussions have taken place I will provide you with a more
detailed response to the review of your request.

I hope this information is of assistance.

Kind regards

Matthew Towey | Compliance Adviser

Information Access & Compliance Team | Corporate Governance | Transport
for London

5th Floor, Windsor House, 42-50 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL

T: 020 7126 3063/ auto 63063

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Sittampalam

I write to provide an update on the status of your request. I have discussed this matter with LU's Contingency Planning Department and they seem to think that the relevant information is not in fact contained with the Appendix referred to previously. I have asked for more information but as yet this not been forthcoming.

I will continue to pursue the matter to get a response to you. I am very sorry for the time it is taking. I should remind you that you have the right to complain to the ICO.

Please contact me if you would like to discuss this matter.

Kind regards

Matthew Towey | Compliance Adviser 
Information Access & Compliance Team | Corporate Governance | Transport for London
5th Floor, Windsor House, 42-50 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL
T: 020 7126 3063/ auto 63063

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Sittampalam

Further to my email of 28 June I have identified what I think is the relevant document. It is the "Change Assurance Plan Version 2 Phase II Escalator works at Bank", the purpose of which is to detail the changes that will be made to customer routes within Bank/Monument station in order to safely manage congestion during the planned works to Escalators 1, 2, 3, 8, 10 & 11.

This document is being considered for disclosure and a decision will be made as soon as possible. Once again, please accept my apologies for the delay.

Kind regards

Matthew Towey | Compliance Adviser 
Information Access & Compliance Team | Corporate Governance | Transport for London
5th Floor, Windsor House, 42-50 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL
T: 020 7126 3063/ auto 63063

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Sittampalam 

I write further to my email of 30 June 2010 concerning your Freedom of
Information request.

I can confirm that the document of most relevance to your request is the
"Change Assurance Plan Version 2 Phase II Escalator works at Bank". Please
find a redacted version of this document attached.

The material redacted covers information which does not relate to the DLR
sections of the escalator works. It also covers information which TfL
believes is exempt from disclosure under section 38 of the Freedom of
Information Act, which provides an exemption from the disclosure of
information which would, or would be likely to, endanger the safety of any
individual.

This exemption has been applied due to a concern that some of the
information contained within this document, such as the risk assessment
and the emergency planning procedures, would allow individuals to gain an
understanding of the actions LU would take with regard to passenger
movement in an emergency situation or in times of heavy congestion. LU has
to move customers through a very tight system and any disruption, such as
engineering works, can have knock on effects and place further constraints
on the safe movement of passengers through the underground network. TfL
believes, therefore, that disclosure of this information would be likely
to endanger the safety of LU customers, staff and the general public.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public
interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We
appreciate that there are concerns about the level of works being
undertaken at Bank station and overcrowding at this station and the public
has an interest in the procedures we have in place to ensure the safety of
those travelling on our service. However we must balance this interest in
ensuring the safety of customers and staff and TfL believes that the
public interest factors in maintaining this exemption outweigh the public
interest in disclosing this document.

I apologise for the time it has taken to locate the relevant document and
consider it for disclosure. As your original internal review considered a
different document for disclosure you are entitled to request another
review of the decision to redact certain sections of the attached
document.

Yours sincerely

Matthew Towey | Compliance Adviser
Information Access & Compliance Team | Corporate Governance | Transport
for London

5th Floor, Windsor House, 42-50 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL
T: 020 7126 3063/ auto 63063

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