Train care staff are unsung heroes

FIRST of all let me start by saying how much the work done by the NHS and all the frontline healthcare staff is appreciated.

However, they are not the only key workers to have put their health at risk during the pandemic, there is a group of people who have worked tirelessly throughout the current crisis to keep the public safe.

The people of whom I speak are the staff at Etches Park train care depot in Derby, in particular the cleaning staff from Churchill Services and East Midlands Railways.

Day and night throughout the pandemic, they have worked tirelessly to keep the trains clean. This involves wiping each and every surface with antibacterial cleaning solutions, vacuuming and scrubbing carpets with specialised carpet cleaning machines, removing litter from bins and floors, which can, and sometimes does, include drug paraphernalia.

As we have been told by the Government and the media, the virus can survive for up to 72 hours on surfaces. If a train is known to have had someone on board with the virus then the train is sanitised by the cleaning team, who are fully equipped with protective clothing.

However, in the majority of cases this is not known so the cleaners are at risk of infection every single day.

In addition to their normal cleaning routines, Churchill Services have introduced a fogging machine that sprays a fine mist of antiviral sanitiser into the air. This mist reaches all areas of the carriage or room in which it is deployed.

This fogging is carried out by specially trained members of staff.

Also I would like to praise the hard work carried out by the engineers at EMR and Bombardier who have also been at risk whilst maintaining the trains.

The above mentioned people are, in my humble opinion, one of the many groups of unsung heroes that deserve to be recognised for their hard work and dedication in keeping the East Midlands Railways fleet safe for other key workers to use.

Clive Newton, for and behalf of the

above mentioned people, by email