Train cleaning.

[whole diary]

[grahame]

How often are train interiors cleaned?   Is it sufficient?   Is the cleaning of interiors limited by the need to keep the trains running all day, and / or by the cost of having staff to clean them more often?

I travelled from Swindon to Melksham on one last night and the seats, etc, didn't seem too bad maintainance wise. However - the train looked like it has been (ab)used by a drunken crowd since it was last cleaned, with the floor sticky with spilled [something], newspapers and rubbish strewn all over.

The train had just come off the Stroud Valley line, to form the 18:42 to Westbury.

1. I guess that the train had been cleaned the previous night on depot and not since.  Anyone know if I'm right?

2. Is it usual for this train to be in such a dreadful mess, or was this just a on-off incident?

3. Do FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have a way of giving their trains a quick extra clean if they get, unexpectedly, into a bit of a state? (A lot could have been done as simply as one of the crew walking through the train and picking up some of the rubbish, and in this instance I think there was a crew member with time to do so).

I know that Wessex Trains got into official trouble over the state of their trains at one point ... what IS the required standard?

[whistleblower]

All trains are intensively cleaned overnight at the depot.

During the day there are various opportunities for a tidy up and a wipe down.  There are cleaners based at Bristol Temple Meads who are contracted to go through any train that ends it's journey at a platform and is not going out again immediately.  There is also a team of cleaners based at Westbury who travel on trains between Bath and Salisbury litter-picking and wiping the toilets and surfaces as required.  They also clear out the litter bins and take the rubbish off with them in a sack.

And there are the conductor and trolley steward who can also pick things up as they go along.

Oh yes!  And the people who enjoy tearing tickets and newspapers into little pieces and scattering them as far as they can.  And throwing half-empty beer cans around the saloon and leaving half-eaten sandwiches and chewing gum on the seats.  They could help by not doing it in the first place.

The worst trains are the Saturday and Sunday leisure trains to the shops, coast, nights out and sporting events.  What you saw was fairly typical of these, Graham.  There are fewer cleaners about at weekends and if the train has a short turnround there can be less of an opportunity for the conductor to do it.  We don't carry cleaning equipment with us and do not have the protective clothing for kneeling on the floor and rummaging amongst litter which may contain sharps and other risky items.  We can only do a cursory tidy up and it can be quite disheartening to have to face that when you have had a busy shift and still have to sell tickets etc.  Some of us do it, some don't.

You may be interested to know that since the three companies amalgamated into FGW^▸ (First Great Western) there has not been a set of standard job requirements published.  As the new management process is now in place this is being worked on and I have had a glimpse of a draft set of standards for conductors which stipulates a requirement to keep the train tidy where possible.  At present there is no official job description.

As always, I hope my comments help in your understanding of how the railway actually runs.

[grahame]

I much appreciate that reply ... I guess with the particular train having been on the Stroud Valley for most of the (Fri)day it hadn't got within a broom's length of Bristol OR the Salisbury - Bath corridor  I do understand how hard it is to keep things tidy for new customers (heck I have to do it at a hotel all the time - you wouldn't believe how often the loos need cleaning to keep them spotless!)

And to be fair ... I started the thread as I did wonder, and it was just about the worst I can recall seeing!

[Timmer]

I very much agree with Whistleblower that the travelling public can do their bit in keeping the train clean and tidy and either put their rubbish in the bin or take it with them. You wouldnt treat your home like a rubbish tip so why do it on a train. Perhaps an occasional on-train announcement about removing your rubbish for the benefit of other passengers who have to use the service but that would only work if the bins on the train are regularly emptied on route.