Grim photos show unsightly graffiti on London's Bakerloo Line
Transport for London commissioner Andy Lord said more than 3,000 graffiti "tags" are being removed from Tube trains per week.
Transport for London (TfL) is grappling with an unprecedented spike in Tube graffiti, with over 3,000 “tags” removed weekly across the network, according to commissioner Andy Lord.
He revealed that approximately 23,000 instances of spray-painted graffiti have been eradicated in the last two months, averaging one act of vandalism every 11 minutes on Tube trains.
The issue is particularly severe on the Bakerloo and Central lines, both of which lack onboard CCTV cameras.
TfL statistics show more than 1,000 weekly tags removed from Bakerloo line trains alone, with Central line trains accounting for more than 2,000 per week.
The surge in vandalism coincides with a shift in TfL operating procedures. A policy change now limits graffiti cleaning to overnight hours, rather than removing defaced trains from daytime service, a move that has frustrated commuters. The tanker of older trains on lines like Bakerloo, where newer spares are scarce, compounds the challenge.
TfL has responded with an “accelerated cleaning programme,” deploying teams 24/7 to tackle the graffiti. Offensive tags are prioritised and removed urgently, while less harmful defacement is painted over overnight.
However, the lack of CCTV on these ageing fleets means the vandals often act with impunity, painting inside carriages during night service. With limited resources and old trains, TfL says it is investing in new rolling stock and CCTV-equipped replacements—but improvements are still years away.