33 things we learnt from TfL FoI requests in March 2026
1) Seven parts of the DLR network have their own names: North route (All Saints to Stratford), East route (Blackwall to Beckton), South route (Heron Quays to Lewisham), West route (Westferry to Bank & Tower Gateway), Central area (Poplar, West India Quay and Canary Wharf), London City Airport extension (West Silvertown to Woolwich Arsenal) and Stratford International extension (Canning Town to Stratford International). 2) Planning documents for the first tranche of Superloop routes have been made available, in case you'd like to know why they go where they go as often as they do. 3) If you have a 'DLR spotting book' and are wondering what happened to '4 Wheel Diesel Hydraulic Locomotives Numbered 5610 & 5611', there's no evidence that either ever existed.
4) The speed restriction between Charing Cross and Leicester Square on the Northern line is to reduce and mitigate against train shoebeam damage caused by track geometry from tunnels built over 100 years ago. The restriction will be removed when the situation improves. 5) In February TfL began a 12 month trial of video‑analytics technology at Stockwell, Clapham North, and Clapham Common focusing on counting people entering and exiting the gateline. This will strengthen understanding of fare‑evasion levels and help assess how enhanced data could support more effective deployment of enforcement officers across the network. 6) TfL don't know why there's a bollard at the junction of Furlong Road and Holloway Road because it was installed in November 2015 and they bin all documentation after 7 years.
7) The timetabled running time from Pimlico to Vauxhall is 65 seconds (but 68 seconds in the opposite direction) 8) In the last 12 months Tram Safety Officers have interacted with customers with regards to smoking/vaping on 146 occasions. No penalties were issued. 9) TfL fleecingtons (showerproof soft-shell jackets) have modal branding and are available in 10 sizes from XXS to 5XL. Before washing the zipper should be closed and the garment turned inside out. Fabric softener must not be used.
10) When the bus stop "Hume Way" was renamed "Highgrove Pool & Fitness Centre", it cost £328.12. 11) By undertaking further mileage running restrictions, the current DLR timetable can be sustained until at least the end of March 2026. TfL are exploring other options to extend this date. 12) The floor inside an Elizabeth line carriage is 1145mm above rail level. Overground trains are slightly higher (Class 378 1148mm) (Class 710 1155mm).
13) TfL awarded Stagecoach a £1,967,010 contract to operate the Silvertown Tunnel Cycle Shuttle for 3 years. Demand continues to be around 110-130 cycles on weekdays, lower at weekends. 14) In the month of February, only 8 passengers used a paper ticket to enter Chigwell station. By contrast 1567 passengers used Oyster and 1122 used contactless. 15) Mood lighting has been disabled on new buses "as we have been experiencing issues of these lights being used instead of the main lights".
16) 83 current TfL employees have been off work sick for more than 24 months since 2019. 40% of employees have been off work for 4 weeks or less during that period. 17) 156km of TfL roads have had a speed limit lowered under the Lowering Speed Limits programme. 18) Names proposed for Santander Cycles for International Women’s Day, but not used, include Amelia Jenks Bloomer, Kittie Knox, Rose Yates, Sylvia Pankhurst and Queen Marie of Romania.
19) Lost property found on buses last year included 15570 telephones, 11396 rucksacks, 9385 spectacles, 2915 umbrellas and 444 suitcases. 20) When making manual announcements on the Bakerloo line, the driver presses 1 for 'Let customers off the train first please', 2 for 'Please move right down inside the car', 3 for 'Please stand clear of the doors' and 4 for 'All change please, this train terminates here'. 21) The refurbishment of the toilets at Amersham station has been delayed by unforeseen asset issues in the male facility.
22) Last year 35,166,468 sales were recorded at London Underground ticket machines. The fewest sales were at Emerson Park with 6188. 23) The most popular journey on the Underground last year was again Bank to Waterloo with 1,315,723 taps. The reverse journey was made 1,268,090 times. 24) In last year's sole parakeet incident, the Traffic Signal Controller located on the A23 Purley Way/Commerce Way became heavily contaminated with bird guano, preventing engineers from safely accessing the unit. The contamination resulted from parakeets roosting in a privately owned plane tree situated above the controller.
25) Last year there were 15390 incidents of damage to TfL buses resulting from collisions and crashes, down from 15939 in 2024. 26) 701 candidates applied to the TfL General Management Graduate Scheme last year, of whom 272 passed the online tests, 36 attended interviews and 10 were appointed. 27) If you try to find out why the new Piccadilly line stock is late by asking "So, Hey TFL FOI Team, We Could Pick The Random Date From: Between: Dec 2026 To: June 2027, With The Drumroll, Please? Thanks", expect the response "TfL does not hold the requested information".
28) Last year 88 wigs were logged as lost property, 11 of which were returned to their owners. TfL have had no success returning two sets of false teeth, nor an urn containing ashes. 29) Fitting out Woolwich station for Crossrail cost £294,203,000. Additional Compliancy Works at Canary Wharf cost £122,414,000. 30) Members of the Royal Family do not receive free travel on TfL services, but 'Gold Level' athletes have been eligible for a free Athlete's Oyster Photocard since May 2006.
31) The borough whose residents received the most ULEZ penalty charges last year was Enfield (64,140), followed by Haringey (48,082) and Barking & Dagenham (42,356). 32) If you ever wanted to know precisely where all the 272 Labyrinth artworks are, here's a list. 33) When a suspicious muppet asked "I wish to fact check a series of articles published on the IanVisits website. I have tried looking all over your website and could not find the information. As the author of these articles does not provide sources or links to supporting documents, I believe this is potential fake news until verified", TfL responded by linking to the four supporting documents and confirming in each case that Ian was correct.
