In the first of our series looking behind the scenes of South West Trains, Presentation teams do? Maggie Beecher, Head of Train Presentation, reveals the work going on to clean up the trains
What do South West Trains’ Train
We are the first line of customer service because it is our work that the passengers see when they first get on the train—if trains are already late or overcrowded, the state of the carriage or toilet can really be the last straw. Our job is to ensure carriages and toilets remain as clean and as pleasant as possible. It doesn’t matter how pristine a train is if the light bulbs are missing, the seats are slashed and the curtains are falling down. We’re concerned with maintaining the entire appearance of the train. We have 300 Train Presentation staff based at stations and depots across our network, and we’re in the process of recruiting an extra 50 people.
What are you doing to improve the cleanliness and tidiness of carriages?
We’ve invested lots of time and money in the presentation of our trains and we are slowly seeing improvements. We know they are not perfect, but we are moving in the right direction. We’re learning new lessons all the time. For example, we were consulted about the design and materials used in our new Desiro trains, and have influenced the design of its litter bins, which customer feedback told us we needed to improve. We have also worked on the specification for the material used on seat covers to enable a quick change if required. Another thing we're doing is encouraging all South West Trains staff to be more proactive and to report any incidences of graffiti or vandalism, so we can get things removed or repaired overnight.
How often are the trains cleaned?
They are thoroughly cleaned overnight, as well as at regular intervals during the day at stations. The sheer volume of traffic at peak times means that, on occasions, it is not possible to clean the carriages as often as we would like during the day—especially when there is as little as three minutes turnaround time. It means carriages can sometimes appear untidy long before they reach their destinations. We do have some in-transit cleaners and we are investigating introducing this on more routes in response to positive customer and staff feedback.
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