Passenger Trains > Covid cleaning....

how good are they cleaning the superliner trains now?

Posted from Android

They have recently posted some new videos on this subject on the official Amtrak YouTube channel.

I cannot tell the difference from before Covid. Still dirty and sometimes smelly too.

Cleaning and sanitizing is never a bad idea of course, but it does little to nothing with regard to preventing the transmission of COVID-19.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/scourge-hygiene-theater/614599/

They clean during the duration of every train's trip right?  
 

Bring your own wipes. Problem solved. I've been in three Superliner sleepers and two viewliners since the virus started. All with one exception appeared to be clean and smelled clean. One viewliner was filthy. My Clorox wipe was black after the initial wipe down. I called it to the attention of the car attendant. He apologized and came back with a spray bottle and some more wipes. Said the original intended car was probably bad ordered at the last minute and this was the replacement. No way of knowing if that was true or not.

that's my worry, it needs to be clean 100% of the time now and forever.

Posted from Android

Until they remove train cleaning from the mechanical department it won’t change. Train cleaning is on the bottom of the list for mechanical, only once all of the defects are corrected and duct tape properly applied are the coach cleaners allowed access. In many cases at that point it is very close to departure time and the cars only receive a cursory wipe down. The Mechanical department adamantly refuses to service equipment upon arrival, the rolling stock lies in wait in the yard until it is scheduled, only at that point do they begin work, in many instances that is too late to effect proper repairs and cleaning. In many airline environments, the Customer Service Department is charged with aircraft cleaning and all aircraft inspections and defects are addressed the minute the last passenger departs the aircraft not just before the first passenger boards.

Would make much more sense to do the work immediately upon arrival... is there a reason they do it that way?

Posted from Android

goduckies Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Would make much more sense to do the work
> immediately upon arrival... is there a reason they
> do it that way?
>
> Posted from Android

“Because that’s they way we’ve always done it” with no accountability by Executive management. That is why I remain hopeful that some true business management expertise might be able to effect some meaningful change that will ensure passenger rail survival.

another_view Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> goduckies Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Would make much more sense to do the work
> > immediately upon arrival... is there a reason
> they
> > do it that way?
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> “Because that’s they way we’ve always done
> it” with no accountability by Executive
> management. That is why I remain hopeful that some
> true business management expertise might be able
> to effect some meaningful change that will ensure
> passenger rail survival.

You just gotta LOVE this answer - "because that's the way we've always done it."

That's no way that a successful business or industry will ever succeed. Shame on management for nearly 50 years of not addressing this, if that be the case. I was taught from day one in my career/industry that this is a poor excuse, would never pass muster, and if I ever tried to embrace such philosophy, I would never last. 

Claytor and Gunn tried - they did their surprise maintenance visits. And there were other change along the way. But I think - due largely to the rotating doors at Amtrak (with Exec Management) - it did slip back to "what was."

Gardner and team were able to bring down the age-old traditional LD train dining. That involved some pretty severe cuts in labor and smoothing over with the Unions (or the Unions just didn't care and rolled over). I don't understand why this is not being addressed (e.g. service equipment as it arrives, not 1 hour before it is to depart), particularly with a pandemic going on. Use it for all its worth, they did for cutting the dining costs. Make this change for safety - service equipment as it comes - so the last 2 hour prep can be done for cleaning and sanitizing.