Keolis Commuter Services 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.

RELATED: Keolis begins operating MBTA's commuter rail lines

Keolis began operating the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) 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.

“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,” said MBTA GM Beverly A. Scott.

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:
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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. 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.

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