Victoria Line's train speed a state secret: TfL refuse to reveal details on 'national security' grounds

 
File photo dated 29/09/2008 of a London Underground train on the Victoria Line. Photo credit: Tim Ireland/PA Wire
PA

Transport for London is locked in a bizarre secrecy battle after refusing to reveal the speed of Victoria line trains on the grounds of “national security”.

The Mayor’s transport agency has appealed to three judges to block the release of data that it says would make it easier to mount a terror attack on the Tube, such as the July 7 bombings in 2005 that killed 52 innocent passengers.

TfL says safety concerns about evacuating passengers, providing access for emergency crews and being able to move trains out of danger are “exacerbated” on the Victoria line - the only Tube line to run entirely underground.

But it already publishes detailed Tube timetables and “live” departure boards on its website and admits that the scale of delays makes it impossible for outsiders to predict the precise locations of Underground trains.

In addition, a “Driver’s Eye View” DVD of the Victoria line is sold in the London Transport Museum shop.

TfL allowed the makers of the new James Bond film, Skyfall, which contains a dramatic action sequence showing a Tube tunnel being blown up, access to the Underground for several weeks.

A hearing of the First Tier Tribunal is due to start on January 22 after TfL refused to comply with a ruling from the Information Commissioner to disclose the speed limits.

It is believed to be the first time since the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act 12 years ago that TfL, which receives about 2,000 requests a year, has appealed against a commissioner’s ruling.

The case dates back to April 2011 when TfL received a FoI request from an unnamed train enthusiast for information to help him create a Victoria line simulator.

TfL initially refused to disclose the information by claiming it was exempt under health and safety laws as it “would allow individuals to identify locations to disrupt services or commit malicious acts”.

It then also claimed there was a “national security” exemption when the request was subjected to a TfL internal review.

The Information Commissioner ruled against TfL in May (2012), saying it was “difficult to see how disclosure would increase the risk of an attack on the Underground beyond the information already in the public domain”.

However TfL still refused to release the information and appealed - placing the final decision in the hands of the tribunal.

Ian Allison, editor of IRSE News, the publication of the Institute of Railway Signal Engineers, said it was unusual for rail enthusiasts to resort to freedom of information laws to obtain technical details.

“When I have come across people who have a technical request or want to replicate something for their own purposes, the information is usually in the public domain,” he said. “For somebody to use the FoI Act is unusual.”

He added: “These timetables are published for all different modes of public transport. Why should only the Victoria line be a major terrorist risk?”

A TfL spokeswoman said: “TfL is seeking to protect information which we consider to be important to the safety and security of the Underground.”

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