A 12-month TfL in-house cleaning pilot began on 28 September with around 250 seconded cleaners, centred on the Victoria line, almost six months into Mitie’s new five-year contract.

Victoria line train with open doors at Brixton Underground station
A Victoria line train stands with its doors open at Brixton Underground station. Photo: Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net) / CC BY-SA 4.0

Transport for London (TfL) says the year-long trial should show what it would take to run cleaning itself while keeping the service efficient, affordable and productive. The participating cleaners join TfL on secondment for the whole period. TfL has no specialist cleaning or facilities management capability of its own. The pilot is therefore also meant to build that expertise and to weigh the potential gains against the hurdles.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan first announced the pilot in January. TfL then worked out its design with Mitie, which holds its cleaning and associated services contract, and with the RMT union.

Victoria line stations, depot and bus stations in scope

The pilot covers most Victoria line stations but leaves out King’s Cross, Oxford Circus and Warren Street. It also reaches Northumberland Park Depot, which maintains the Victoria line fleet, and the trains themselves. Three office buildings are included too. Away from the Tube, the list names Victoria Coach Station and bus stations at Finsbury Park, Euston, Tottenham Hale, Vauxhall and Walthamstow. British Transport Police sites at Buckingham Palace Road and Finsbury Park complete it. The announcement does not say why the three Victoria line stations were left out.

A trial alongside a five-year outsourcing deal

The pilot starts while TfL’s main cleaning work stays with Mitie. After a competitive tender, TfL awarded Mitie a five-year contract for cleaning and associated services in January. That deal took effect on 1 April 2026, replacing an outsourced contract awarded in 2017.

Its scope covers trains, Tube and bus stations, TfL’s head offices and the London Transport Museum. It also includes City Hall waste collection, plus pest control and waste management on the network. Mitie said it would deliver the work with more than 2,000 colleagues, compared with around 250 cleaners in the pilot.

TfL in-house cleaning pilot compared with the Mitie contract
Area In-house cleaning pilot Mitie cleaning contract
Duration 12 months from 28 September 2026 Five years from 1 April 2026
Cleaning staff Around 250 cleaners, seconded to TfL More than 2,000 Mitie colleagues
Stations Most Victoria line stations, except King’s Cross, Oxford Circus and Warren Street, plus bus stations at Finsbury Park, Euston, Tottenham Hale, Vauxhall and Walthamstow Tube and bus stations
Trains and depots Victoria line trains and Northumberland Park Depot Trains
Offices and other sites Three office buildings, Victoria Coach Station and British Transport Police sites at Buckingham Palace Road and Finsbury Park TfL’s head offices, the London Transport Museum and City Hall waste collection
Other services Not stated in the pilot announcement Pest control and waste management on the network

The pilot is small next to the contract: around 250 cleaners against a Mitie contract team of more than 2,000 colleagues, and 12 months against five years, mostly on and around the Victoria line.

Sources: Transport for London, 28 September 2026; Mitie, 8 January 2026.

The Mayor requested the pilot at the time of the award. The January announcement said scope, locations and success criteria still had to be settled. It expected the design to consider trains, depots and head offices. It also noted that TfL had completed several reviews of its cleaning delivery model since 2021.

The award drew criticism from the RMT, which urged Khan to cancel the Mitie contract and publish a plan to bring all TfL cleaners in-house at an early date. The union also called a protest outside the TfL Board meeting at City Hall for 4 February.

How TfL will judge the results

TfL will judge the pilot on safety, security, environmental effects, customer experience and feedback, wider operational measures, quality and cost. It will also survey the staff working on the pilot at regular intervals. Once the 12 months are over, TfL and the Mayor will analyse the results. Only then will they decide on next steps.

Khan said:

“I’ve long championed insourcing where possible, and that of course includes our hard working and essential cleaning staff.”

The RMT, which pushed for all TfL cleaners to be insourced in January, welcomed the launch. Its general secretary, Eddie Dempsey, said:

“RMT will be fully involved and working with TfL throughout to make sure that it succeeds.”

Dempsey presented the pilot as a chance for the Mayor to lead on the government’s promised wave of insourcing.