• Appeal comes after the number of reported incidents involving items on Tube tracks more than doubled between 2022 and 2025
• People risk serious injury to themselves and others, as well as prosecution and a fine, by going onto live tracks and are reminded to always seek help from trained staff who can safely retrieve items
• Customers are urged to take care when out and about on London’s transport network and stand behind the yellow line, look after their belongings and avoid rushing

As the number of reported items such as mobile phones falling onto London Underground tracks is increasing sharply, Transport for London (TfL) is reminding customers of the dangers of going onto the tracks to try and get their items back and advising how staff can provide help.

Tube and rail services in London use electrified rails which can cause serious injury to anyone who comes into contact with them, including those who trespass onto the tracks to retrieve personal items. Between 2022 and 2025, the annual number of reported incidents of items on London Underground tracks more than doubled, from 209 to 438, and rose most sharply between 2024 and 2025, by 166 reported incidents.

Trespassing on the tracks is a criminal offence and may result in prosecution and a fine. Although most people do the right thing and seek help from staff to recover their belongings, TfL is increasing the number of posters on the network to remind people of the dangers of attempting to retrieve items from the tracks themselves, and that staff are on hand to help.

Trained staff members use a Track Retrieval Device to pick up items without needing to go onto the tracks. The device has a range of attachments that retrieve objects of varying sizes, from mobile phones and earbuds, to larger items such as hats and shoes. Occasionally, staff may need to go onto the tracks to retrieve the item and sometimes wait until the end of service. Staff always aim to return the item to its owner as quickly as possible.

Elizabeth line, London Overground and London Underground customers should inform a member of staff on the platform if a personal belonging ends up on the tracks. If none are available, they can use a help point or speak to a team member in the ticket hall or station entrance. On the DLR, customers should inform the staff member on the train or use the emergency alarm on the platform, and on London Trams, customers should use the Passenger Help Point on board the tram and on platforms.

Safety remains TfL’s top priority and customers are reminded to stand behind the yellow line, keep an eye on their belongings and avoid rushing to help prevent incidents such as items falling onto the tracks.

Mark Evers, TfL’s lead on Customer Insight, Strategy and Experience, said: "When a valuable or important personal belonging falls onto the tracks**,** it’s natural to panic, but that moment of panic can cloud our judgement. Going onto the tracks to retrieve the item is extremely dangerous, endangering ourselves and others. No item’s worth that risk. We urge everyone to stay behind the yellow line and take precautions to prevent items from falling. If something does fall, our trained staff are ready to help, to save you putting yourself and others at risk."

A customer who contacted TfL after this experience happened to them, said: “I dropped my phone on the tracks at Stratford station and the staff member I spoke to was extremely polite, patient and helpful. He spent a long time helping me look for my phone and, when we couldn’t see it on the tracks, arranged for the night staff to look for it so I could collect it from the office in the morning. I was so grateful for their efforts.” 

Number of reported objects on the tracks on the TfL network (London Underground only), by year: 

• 2022 - 209
• 2023 - 197
• 2024 - 272
• 2025 – 438

Source: https://tfl-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/tfl-urges-customers-to-seek-staff-helpto-recover-items-that-fall-onto-the-tracks-rather-than-risk-danger-trying-to-retrieve-items-themselves

Expected on Wednesday for The King’s Speech.

The future of Heathrow Express should be reconsidered amid falling passenger numbers, according to the Mayor of London.

The Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), co-authored by Transport for London (TfL) and London Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, has suggested the current operation should be reviewed amid the success of the Elizabeth line.h

In its submission to the Department for Transport (DfT), the two parties say ridership on the open access service “is steadily falling and we need to reconsider whether this service is the best use of these valuable train paths into Paddington.

“The current service contract ends in 2028 and alternative options should be considered that can increase ridership at a lower cost to customers to the airport.”

The submission, made in February, was released in a Freedom of Information request. The DfT said a decision on the future of Heathrow Express “will be announced in due course,” though RAIL understands it is expected before the end of the year.

Heathrow Express has been operating services to and from London Paddington since 1998 at a frequency of four trains per hour (tph).

Services take 15 minutes to reach Terminals 2 & 3 and 21 minutes to get to Terminal 5.

The company is a subsidiary of Heathrow Airport Ltd, with trains operated and maintained by Great Western Railway since 2018 in a ten-year agreement.

Heathrow Express Business Lead, Aoife Considine, said the company recorded 4.5m journeys in 2025.

She said: “Passengers value our convenient, direct service - twice as quick as the Elizabeth line - and this is reflected in the latest Rail Customer Experience national survey, where Heathrow Express achieved 90% passenger satisfaction and ranked among the top performers in the UK for value for money.”

Office of Rail and Road (ORR) passenger numbers have shown a post-pandemic decline from 4.7 million in 2022-23 to just under 4.3m in 2024-25. The peak of the last ten years was 6.7m in 2018-19.

ORR quarterly data published so far for 2025/26 shows the company arrested the slide across the first nine months of the last financial year, but didn’t record any growth either.

Heathrow Express managers expect higher numbers in 2026 and say that expected lower post-COVID figures have coincided with the arrival of the Elizabeth line in May 2022.

The Elizabeth line operates 6tph to the airport from Central and East London. 4tph continue to Terminal 4 and 2tph reach Terminal 5.

In the same submission to the DfT, the Mayor and TfL said the ten additional Elizabeth line trains currently being built will double Terminal 5 frequencies.

“We would be keen to discuss how frequencies can be further increased to support more people accessing the airport using the Elizabeth line,” TfL and the Mayor said in their submission.

RAIL understands Network Rail views the idea of running additional Elizabeth line services on the Main lines challenging, as they would have to use the flat crossing at Ladbroke Grove because they run to/from the Relief lines.

However, a source suggested TfL would look for additional Elizabeth line services to use the Relief lines and let GWR use any released Main Line paths.

Alex Williams, TfL Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, said: “With limited capacity on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) and competing demands from a number of train services, the focus must be on using it in a way that benefits the most passengers and improves reliability.

“As customers increasingly choose the Elizabeth line for its frequent, direct services, and with Heathrow Express’s current GWML access ending in 2028, we are working with the government, Network Rail and other stakeholders to consider how best these train paths are used.”

Source: https://www.railmagazine.com/news/mayor-of-london-and-tfl-call-for-heathrow-express-future-to-be-reconsidered

[An unconfirmed report that] Transport for London (TfL) is looking to trial Bluetooth’s Auracast technology on its buses, Liam O’Dell can reveal.

Unlike standard Bluetooth pairing, Auracast allows for an unlimited amount of receiver devices – such as compatible hearing aids, earbuds and headphones – to connect to a single audio stream.

The technology has already been used in venues such as Frankfurt Airport, the Sydney Opera House and London’s National Theatre, with Auri transmitters installed and piloted at Bristol Temple Meals last year.

Mark Evers, TfL’s lead on customer insight, strategy and experience, said in a statement issued on Tuesday: “We’re committed to making our transport network as fair, accessible and inclusive as possible.

“As part of this, we are planning a trial of Auracast Bluetooth technology on buses, which would allow service announcements to be broadcast directly to customers’ compatible headphones and hearing aids.

“The results of this trial will inform any future decisions about other forms of transport within the TfL network, including rail services.”

It is not known when the trial will take place.

Source (unconfirmed, no official TfL press releases exist): https://liamodell.com/2026/04/29/transport-for-london-tfl-buses-auracast-bluetooth-deaf-accessibility/

In an ideal world, this would be my tube proposal. The underground line would be fully GOA4 (Grade of Automation 4, ie fully autonomous), include full Platform Screen Doors, be fully underground in a single bore tunnel and would link together national rail, unserved towns and major town centres. It would not be a mainline, it would be a similar sizing to ”subsurface“ tube stock, such as trains on the Metropolitan or District lines.

The line would run from Kingston to Woolwich and Abbey Wood via:

• Kingston
• Surbiton
• Tolworth
• Worcester Park
• Stonecote (51.3790769, -0.2198932)
• Sutton Common
• Hackbridge
• Beddington North (near the IKEA),
• East Croydon
• Shirley
• West Wickham
• Park Langley
• Bromley South
• Sunridge
• Sidcup Central (located near the Town Centre as opposed to the current station)
• Bexleyheath Market (located in Central Bexleyheath as opposed to the current station)
• Either Woolwich for DLR/Elizabeth Line/Buses or Abbey Wood for DLR (extention from Thamesmead), Elizabeth Line, National Rail

(I apologise in advanced for the terrible line diagram but I hope it illustrates my point).

The marathon runner also had to partake in Shakira law, where his hips had to not lie. He has previously been stabbed 342 times, 100 times fatally and had his phone stolen 160 times, just during the Marathon alone.

He’s also had his thoughts challenged by the thought police, who forced him to think about how welcoming and open London is, a terrible thought to a certain type of meat. Londonistan is a no-go zone now.

(Satire)