Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, train operator Greater Anglia has been testing their trains for COVID-19, and every test completed came back negative.
SOCOTEC, the company that completed the swab tests, randomly tested 40 trains before departing or upon arrival at Liverpool Street station in London.
Test points included pushbuttons, tables, toilet doors, toilet flush buttons, grab handles and inside driver's cabs, and not one of the test swabs came back positive.
The operator chose to carry out the tests to check the effectiveness of new cleaning regimes that they have implemented since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Martin Moran, Greater Anglia commercial, customer service and train presentation director, said: “We are using everything available to make sure that our trains are clean and sanitised. SOCOTEC's tests enable us to triple check the effectiveness of our new cleaning and sanitising regimes.
“We already carry out weekly tests for the biological residue to make sure trains are clean so that we can be sure that we have the right conditions for sanitising our trains.
“It's excellent that all tests have come back negative, but we're not complacent, and we will continue to keep our trains as hygienic as possible so that our customers can travel with confidence.”
Norman Sleeth, managing director, Environment & Safety, SOCOTEC UK, said: “SOCOTEC's environmental swabbing service is designed to instil confidence in our clients, ensuring that they can operate a safe and compliant service during these challenging times.
“We were delighted to have carried out the swabbing service on behalf of Greater Anglia, helping to maintain their business operations and keep the country moving.”
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