Andrew Dismore

• Internal TfL night tube risk assessment warns increased noise disturbance could drive residents to “threats of suicide”

 

• Andrew Dismore AM calls for ‘noise-busters’ team to repair broken tracks and crack down on Night Tube noise

The internal TfL risk assessment for the long awaited Night Tube has revealed residents living near to tube tracks or stations are likely to face significant increases in noise disturbance when the Night Tube is introduced. The risk assessment stated that the nuisance noise could result in a “reduction in quality of life of residents through disturbed sleep” and even “threats of suicide.” Labour London Assembly Member Andrew Dismore AM called on TfL to use the ongoing delay to the Night Tube to ensure that all identified sections of noisy track were repaired ahead of the Night Tube’s eventual start.

 

The official TfL risk assessment, obtained by the Times newspaper last month via a Freedom of Information request, identified a four out of five chance risk that “residents who live close to and above tracks are disturbed at night by noise, vibration and ground bourne noise caused by the train service operations.” The document also found a three out of five chance that those near to stations would also face disruption from station and train announcements throughout the night.

 

In an admission that will worry residents already facing challenges of noisy tracks during the day TfL states in the document that the Night Tube could well result in insufficient maintenance time on the tracks, as a result an “inability to rail grind on Friday and Saturday nights could lead to poorer rail condition, reliability and noise.”

 

Respite for residents affected to increased night tube noise looks to be unlikely with TfL also rating the risk it will not be able to handle the increase in complaints as a five out of five risk.

 

Mr Dismore said TfL should use the delayed introduction of the Night Tube to repair all the identified sections of track and should set up a ‘noise-busters’ team to ensure noisy sections of track are quickly identified in future and prioritised for replacement or maintenance.

 

Labour London Assembly for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore AM, said:

 

“Residents regularly complain about the noise made by poor condition tube tracks. When the Night Tube starts it will mean even more misery for those people living close to these sections of track who are already suffering from excess noise.

 

“ Last year I already arranged for TfL to fix noise problems at West Hampstead and Colindale, but this will only be the tip of the iceberg.

 

“Setting up a noise-busters team to respond to complaints and quickly identify and fix noisy sections of Night Tube tracks would go a long way to making life better for Londoners living near tube lines. Instead TfL seem set to accept that thousands of families could see their quality of life reduced to the point some threaten suicide – that’s just not a risk they should ignore.

 

“The delay to the Night Tube gives TfL the perfect opportunity to fix this problem before it escalates. This is exactly the kind of detail that the Mayor should have been focused on resolving instead of picking fights with the staffing unions. The Night Tube will be great for London but we need TfL to take the problem of disruptive noise more seriously.”

 

 

ENDS

 

Notes

 

• The TfL Risk Log entries regarding night tube noise, obtained by Freedom of Information Requests, are available here.
• Andrew Dismore AM is the London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden