Transit Wash Systems Around the World: How New York MTA Keeps Their Trains Clean

Key takeaways:

• New York MTA combines hands-on cleaning with NS Corporation automated wash systems to keep its trains clean and operational.
• The Coney Island Tower Center washes about 1,000 train cars each week, showing the importance of fleet-cleaning equipment.
• NS Corporation’s transit wash systems help reduce labor, maintenance, water, and energy requirements.

New York City is known for its aged, bustling public transportation. With so many residents of the Big Apple using trains on a daily (and nightly) basis, a serious transit wash equipment setup is necessary for New York subway cleaning to keep the interiors and exteriors of the trains as clean as possible.

Most New Yorkers have experienced a dirty train at some point—it’s unavoidable. While it may seem that New York trains have a reputation for being filthy—it’s important to realize that keeping every train spotless every minute of every day is simply not possible and that clean trains are often simply taken for granted.

Inside the New York MTA Train Wash System

A team of dedicated MTA employees and some powerful NS Corporation fleet cleaning systems go a long way in giving passengers a relatively sanitary experience.

Read on to learn about how MTA trains are washed, as well as how the subway platforms are maintained.

Interior Cleaning Methods

On average, 5.9 million people ride NYC trains every day. With that staggering figure in mind, you should not be surprised that an intense platform like the New York MTA transit wash system is required to maintain cleanliness in its trains. That said, it may surprise you to learn that cleaning the interiors of New York’s subway cars is done entirely by hand!

That’s right. Every bit of dirt, grime, and, well, other substances is hand-wiped by hard-working individuals. Cleaners meticulously remove gum, erase graffiti, wipe the windows, and use industrial floor cleaners to remove the dirt, sand, mud, and other grime from the floor. The workers also use special chemicals to prevent the buildup of rust and corrosion on metal parts.

Inside the Transit Wash

Next time you’re riding the subway, you can breathe a little easier knowing that the employees at New York MTA use a wide variety of powerful chemicals to wash trains—including plenty of bleach—to completely disinfect the inside of every car. This is part of continuous subway car sanitation efforts.

That said, this transit wash system isn’t flawless, as trains generally only get a full top-to-bottom scrubbing roughly every two and a half months. They do, however, get a lighter nightly cleaning and sweeping when they reach the terminal point on the line to keep trains habitable.

How the Exterior Gets Cleaned

There are 24 MTA rail yards in New York City where trains are cleaned, repaired, and maintained. Each facility plays an essential part in the New York MTA train wash process and New York subway cleaning efforts. NS Corporation is proud to have installed a number of automated train washing systems throughout the entire transit system, where the exteriors of trains are thoroughly cleaned.

The Coney Island Tower Center

The Coney Island Tower is the biggest cleaning center. Every week, roughly 1,000 cars get their exteriors washed, for a grand total of more than 50,000 washes every year. Fortunately for MTA employees, unlike the interiors of the trains, the washing isn’t done by hand. Our train exterior cleaning systems facilitate fast, effective washing, thanks to our cutting-edge equipment.

Subway Platform Upkeep

Beyond just the New York MTA train wash processes, MTA employees are also tasked with keeping subway platforms cleaned. After all, nearly six million people walk on the hundreds of subway platforms—that’s almost 12 million dirty shoes.

Naturally, sweeping and mopping the platforms by hand would be a serious undertaking. That’s why employees use high-powered water cannons to blast dirt, trash, and other debris off the platforms and onto the tracks. But don’t worry, that’s not the end of the line for all of that mess.

How the Garbage Train Cleans Tracks

The next phase of the New York MTA train wash system involves a rare beast of a train: the garbage train, or the “Vakmobile,” as it’s officially known. These trains don’t carry passengers. They’re 224 feet long, and they have two cars with 465-horsepower engines to keep the Vakmobile chugging along at around eight miles per hour.

The other two cars have high-powered vacuums that suck up a whopping 70,000 cubic feet of air every minute. So, if you ever happen to see MTA employees blasting trash onto the tracks, don’t worry. It’s only there temporarily until this railcar cleaning equipment rolls through and makes all that stuff magically vanish by the next morning. Now you know how New York subway cleaning works.

Maintenance-Free Washing Equipment

NS Corporation is the clear leader when it comes to designing the most efficient transit wash systems on the market. Our train wash systems are virtually maintenance-free, allowing New York MTA employees to focus on doing their jobs.

Why New York Chose NS Corporation

When you have such a large-scale transit system, efficiency is absolutely critical, and the state of New York chose NS Corporation because they recognized our commitment to excellence.

We’re proud to offer the unparalleled experience and dedication required to stand out in this competitive field. Here at NS Corporation, we’re never satisfied. We’re always looking for new ways to innovate our transit fleet maintenance systems so we can remain at the forefront of the industry.

Whether you need a basic transit wash system for a small fleet of buses or railway maintenance facilities for an entire city’s transit infrastructure, we’re ready and able to deliver the best systems in the world, like the New York MTA train wash system.

A Proven Leader Worldwide

While our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is located in Valencia, California, we have installed and maintained hundreds of cutting-edge washing systems in New York alone, as well as plenty more domestically and internationally. We can help you minimize maintenance costs and reduce your environmental footprint, all while providing the best equipment, like the New York subway cleaning system, and optimal customer service.

Upgrade Your Fleet’s Washing Systems

If your company needs a washing system for a fleet of cars, buses, trains, or any other large vehicles, we encourage you to contact us so we can create a world-class transit setup like the New York MTA train wash system. Improve efficiency while keeping your customers happy with our incredible vehicle-washing systems.

FAQs

HOW DOES THE NEW YORK MTA KEEP ITS TRAINS CLEAN?

The New York MTA relies on a combination of cleaning crews and procedures, combined with exterior train wash systems and specialized equipment supplied by NS Corporation. Workers also clean subways and platforms to help create a more hygienic environment.

WHY IS INDUSTRIAL TRAIN CLEANING IMPORTANT FOR LARGE TRANSIT SYSTEMS?

Industrial train cleaning plays an essential role in extending the lifespan of major systems and ensuring the safety of passengers. Our train wash systems at NS Corporation also maintain train appearance, supporting public perception of organizations like the New York MTA.

In addition, our systems reduce labor demands. By reducing labor-intensive cleaning requirements at places like the New York subway, transit authorities can reduce operating costs while maintaining continuous service.

WHY DID NEW YORK CHOOSE NS CORPORATION FOR ITS TRAIN WASHING FACILITIES?

New York chose NS Corporation because of our reliable transit wash equipment and systems. Our wash systems use fewer moving parts, which reduces operational requirements, extends lifespan, and reduces power and water consumption, making them ideal for New York MTA train wash facilities.