Dear Joshua Ritchie

Our ref: FOI-1900-2324/GH

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 31
August 2023 asking for information about London Underground line speed
limits.

Your request will be considered in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and our information access policy, and we will issue
you with a response by 27 September 2023. We publish a substantial range
of information on our website on subjects including operational
performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data, governance and our
financial performance. This includes data which is frequently asked for in
FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.

Yours sincerely

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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Dear Joshua Ritchie

Our ref: FOI-1900-2324/GH

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 31
August 2023 asking for information about London Underground line speed
limits.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I
can confirm that we do hold the information you require.

However, in accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply the
information you have requested, as it is subject to statutory exemptions
to the right of access to information, under Section 38(1)(b) and Section
24 of the FOI Act.

In this instance the exemptions have been applied as disclosure of the
information you have requested would be likely to adversely affect the
safety and security of TfL employees and members of the general public as
well as national security.

Disclosure of this information to you has to be regarded as a disclosure
to ‘the public at large’. This information could potentially be obtained
and utilised by individuals who may wish to use this detailed level
technical information to cause disruption or harm to TfL’s network.

Disclosure of information could compromise security and safety
preparedness and would place members of the public and TfL staff at risk
by highlighting areas on the network which could be susceptible to being
targeted. It is our concern that the release of details about the
operating environment could be combined with other information already in
the public domain to help plan an attack.

Whilst we make no suggestion that you would use the information for
anything other than your own personal interest, the London Underground
system and our other networks are attractive terrorist targets for several
reasons including their importance to London and the knock on effect to
the nation’s economy if they are disrupted, the publicity gained from
attacking an iconic transport system and the attractiveness of the system
for a mass casualty attack due to its open, mass transport nature. It is
also important to the functioning of London and its economy.

The use of these exemptions 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 the public interest in applying the exemption, in
order to minimise risks to operational resilience, safe operation of the
London Underground network, the welfare of TfL staff and members of the
general public, outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

In applying this exemption we have taken into account the tribunal
decision referred to in the following link: Your request has been
considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of
Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm
that we do hold the information you require.

However, in accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply the
information you have requested, as it is subject to statutory exemptions
to the right of access to information, under Section 38(1)(b) and Section
24 of the FOI Act.

In this instance the exemptions have been applied as disclosure of the
information you have requested would be likely to adversely affect the
safety and security of TfL employees and members of the general public as
well as national security.

Disclosure of this information to you has to be regarded as a disclosure
to ‘the public at large’. This information could potentially be obtained
and utilised by individuals who may wish to use this detailed level
technical information to cause disruption or harm to TfL’s network.

Disclosure of information could compromise security and safety
preparedness and would place members of the public and TfL staff at risk
by highlighting areas on the network which could be susceptible to being
targeted. It is our concern that the release of details about the
operating environment could be combined with other information already in
the public domain to help plan an attack.

Whilst we make no suggestion that you would use the information for
anything other than your own personal interest, the London Underground
system and our other networks are attractive terrorist targets for several
reasons including their importance to London and the knock on effect to
the nation’s economy if they are disrupted, the publicity gained from
attacking an iconic transport system and the attractiveness of the system
for a mass casualty attack due to its open, mass transport nature. It is
also important to the functioning of London and its economy.

The use of these exemptions 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 the public interest in applying the exemption, in
order to minimise risks to operational resilience, safe operation of the
London Underground network, the welfare of TfL staff and members of the
general public, outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

In applying this exemption we have taken into account the tribunal
decision referred to in the following link:
[1]http://informationrights.decisions.tribu...

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

Yours sincerely

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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TfL Ref: IRV-114-2324

Thank you for your email which was received by Transport for London (TfL) on 30 September 2023

You have expressed that you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

A review will be conducted by an internal review panel in accordance with TfL’s Internal Review Procedure, which is available via the following URL:
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparenc...

Every effort will be made to provide you with a response by 27 October 2023. 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 contact me.

Emma Flint
Principal Information Access Adviser
FOI Case Management Team
Transport for London

show quoted sections

Dear Joshua Ritchie

I am contacting you with regards to your email of the 1 October 2023
concerning the response proved the FOI-1900-2324. Following your email a
review has been carried out by an Independent Review Panel (‘the Panel’)
consisting of individuals who were not involved in the handling of your
request.

To confirm your original FOI request asked for the following - Could you
please provide the line speed limits in a similar format to the National
Electronic Sectional Appendix. The routes I would like would be the
section of the Metropolitan line between Amersham and Harrow-on-the-hill
where Chiltern Railways shares the tracks at a minimum, if I possible
could I please have the full tube network.

We refer you to the response provided to a previous internal review appeal
of yours on the 3 October 2023 (IRV-100-2324) with regards to maximum
acceleration / deceleration and speed limits. A copy is attached for your
convenience.

Due to the stark similarities between your 2 requests and appeals about
speed limits on the London Underground, the arguments we have already
outlined in detail in response to IRV-100-2324 regarding the engagement of
Health and Safety and National Security exemptions continue to apply to
your new FOI request (FOI-1900-2324) and internal review (IRV-114-2324).
Therefore the panel to not believe that repeating our response is
required.

Concerning your statements about previous disclosures, the panel are
unable to comment on disclosures made by different public authorities or
disclosure decisions made in 2018.  All requests are considered on a case
by case basis taking into account all mitigating factors that are relevant
at that specific point in time.

We appreciate that the above response may come as a disappointment but we
hope the above information provides satisfactory clarification. However if
you are dissatisfied with the internal review actions to date please do
not hesitate to contact me or alternately 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 also available on the ICO’s website
([1]www.ico.org.uk).

Yours sincerely

Emma Flint

Principal Information Access Adviser

FOI Case Management Team

Transport for London

[2][TfL request email]

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