Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
TfL reveals graffiti costs Tube millions each year
TRANSPORT for London (TfL) has revealed the cost in money and to customers’ journeys that graffiti on Tube trains creates. The authority says the vandalism forces trains out of service, causing delays.
In addition, bosses say they are forced to fork out ‘millions’ per year to clean and repair stock. In response to a freedom of information request, an official said that the consequences “can be very costly, both in terms of the need to have assets professionally cleaned but also additional, less obvious costs that might arise”.
These include the maintenance of security measures and defacement caused by intruders. This can happen even before the culprits gain access to trains as they ‘frequently’ damage fencing or other parts of the network in the process of gaining access to sites for graffiti.
The official added: “It may also be necessary for TfL to install additional security measures in locations that are frequently targeted, which has both direct and indirect staff costs. Affected carriages have to be taken out of service and replaced, which can lead to difficulties managing the rolling stock and reduces the amount of it available to run services
“Some trains have to be taken out of service at short notice and where there are intruders actively on the network, TfL may have to suspend services for safety reasons. This not only leads to significant delays and inconvenience for our customers, but also has direct financial consequences for TfL such as increased passenger claims for delay compensation.
”While it can be difficult to fully quantify the financial burden graffiti and other vandalism puts on TfL, and while we have no recent figures, we have previously estimated that it costs millions of pounds per year.
“Across the wider rail industry, Network Rail have previously estimated an annual outlay of £3.5m which highlights the significant financial burden and disruption felt by train and rail operators because of this criminal activity.”
It comes after TfL was awarded, it says, half of what cash it needs by the Government last month. Sadiq Khan and his team says the £250 million shortfall could put future projects ‘at risk’. Before the Autumn Statement in November, the city’s deputy mayor for transport, Seb Dance, said that there was a £500 million ‘gap’ in TfL’s capital expenditure.