Keolis Cleaning Program Shines up MBTA Stations and Passenger Cars

BOSTON – September 18, 2014 – Keolis Commuter Services announced today that it has completed the cleaning of all commuter rail passenger cars operating from Boston’s North Station, and all passenger cars operating out of South Station should be cleaned in the coming weeks – part of Keolis’ commitment to improve the passenger experience
for Greater Boston.

Keolis began operating the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's 14 commuter rail lines July 1 with a pledge to increase on-time performance and improve safety, cleanliness and customer service. The train-cleaning program has involved more than 100 people working over 8,000 hours scrubbing over 1 million square feet of equipment as Keolis aims to clean all 422 commuter rail passenger cars. Seats have been thoroughly wiped down, the stainless steel doors and windows shined, vents cleared of grime, and floor thoroughly mopped.

“Our passengers deserve to ride in trains that are clean and comfortable, and so we’ve made this cleaning program a top priority in our first 60 days of operating the MBTA commuter rail service,” said KCS General Manager Tom Mulligan. “Already passengers are telling us how much better the trains are looking as a result of this top-to-bottom cleaning efforts. By improving this small facet of our operation, we hope to improve our& passengers’ experience and in turn make MBTA commuter rail one of the best – and cleanest – in the nation.”

“I want to thank our contractor for demonstrating their commitment to providing customers with a clean and comfortable transit environment,” said MBTA General Manager Beverly A. Scott. “Combined with the recent addition of new coaches and locomotives to the fleet, this stepped-up cleaning initiative is an important part of our efforts to increase ridership on the Commuter Rail system.”

The cleaning program is continuing on the system’s larger south side, with about 15 train sets already completed. Work is expected to be complete by the end of this month, when Keolis Commuter Services workers will begin the process again. A video detailing the passenger car-cleaning program can be found at http://vimeo.com/106304123.

Cleaning commuter rail stations has also been an important priority. Station cleaning began at the stroke of midnight on the day the company began operating the contract. To date, 715 square feet of North Station has been power washed, and 247,000 square feet cleaned along with 12 cubic yards of trash. At Worcester’s Union Station, 50,000 square feet has been cleaned and 5 cubic yards of trash removed. Similar efforts have taken place in Framingham, Ashland, Natick, West Natick, Weymouth Landing, Wellesley Farms, Auburndale, Westborough, Southborough, Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hill, Yawkey, Newtonville, Braintree, Grafton, and West Newton. The work will continue system wide until every station is clean, and then the process will begin again, said company officials.

Along the commuter rail right-of-way along Ipswich Street near Fenway Park, Keolis workers picked up 2 cubic yards of trash ranging from car parts to municipal waste.

The MBTA is the fifth-busiest rail system in the U.S., serving 127,000 passengers daily with 14 lines, 138 stations, and 500 daily trains.

About Keolis North America
In North America, Keolis is a leading provider of passenger transportation services throughout the U.S. and Canada, carrying nearly 50 million people via train, bus and taxi each year through public contracts in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, Quebec, and Virginia.Headquartered in Rockville, MD, Keolis North America has nearly 5,000 employees. It is part of Keolis SA, which has nearly $7 billion in annual revenue and carries 2.5 billion passengers in 15 countries worldwide.

Contact:
Mac Daniel
Keolis Commuter Services
Mac.Daniel@keoliscs.com

Leslie Aun
Keolis North America
Leslie.Aun@keolis.com