Transport for London is exploring new ways of tackling the spooky “ghost marks” that have appeared on the walls of the Elizabeth line’s platforms, Sadiq Khan has revealed.

Shadows of past passengers have emerged behind the benches on the the line’s central London platforms. The marks have been caused by people leaning back against the walls, which has damaged the paintwork.

The London mayor said that TfL was trying out solutions to the problem, including by placing vinyl coverings behind the seats.

The issue was raised in a recent written question to Khan by Caroline Pidgeon, a Liberal Democrat member of the London Assembly. She asked how TfL was ensuring the walls were regularly cleaned so that “the stations remain fresh for decades to come”.

The mayor’s office responded: “A rigorous cleaning programme is maintained at all of TfL’s stations to ensure a clean and safe environment for customers.

Crossrail decorations
Colourful figures have been trialled at Liverpool Street station. Image: ianvisits.co.uk

“However, TfL is exploring new ways to clean the walls behind seating at some of its Elizabeth line stations to try to remove any marks and protect the walls in future.

“TfL is also trialling the installation of vinyl coverings behind the seating area and is in the process of evaluating the results.”

Images of the vinyl coverings published on the IanVisits website last month reveal a range of test designs, including colourful pawn shapes and a block design which uses the Elizabeth Line’s moquette pattern.

A moquette-style pattern has also been tested. Image: ianvisits.co.uk

The line opened in May 2022 and by December of that year had accounted for one in six of rail journeys across the UK.

Shortly before Christmas, the mayor announced that the four stations where the ghost marks are visible — Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street — had all been fitted with 4G mobile coverage, enabling passengers to make calls, browse the internet and send pictures from inside the stations. Woolwich station is due to get mobile coverage this spring.

Noah Vickers is the Local Democracy Reporter for City Hall, based at the Evening Standard. The Local Democracy Reporting Service is a BBC-funded scheme to help boost coverage of councils in the local media.