A recipe for success: Northern rolls out new chemical-free cleaner to bring ‘Michelin star cleanliness’ to train carriages AND cut down on plastic waste

The train operator will now use ‘Clean Zero’ - a chemical-free cleaner created by re-engineering water in a seven-stage filtration process – across its fleet of 345 trains. 

Created by global innovator 2San, its leaves surfaces with a cleanliness score of less than 5.0 in an ‘ATP test’. Meaning surfaces score an ‘Ultra-Clean’ rating – which is needed for food preparation and operating theatres.  

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) testing records the energy molecule found in all living cells. It is used globally as an exact measurement of the cleanliness of a surface. 

The move by Northern will also reduce the use of single-use plastics as the train operator has installed refill stations across its network – reducing the number of bottles used by 9,000 a year. 

Richard Holt, head of train presentation, at Northern said: “Customers rightly expect only the highest standards of cleanliness on-board our trains and we are confident that with this new product we will be able to achieve this.  

“Clean Zero is also a chemical-free cleaner, which is better for the environment, and we will be using refillable bottles across our network to cut down on single use plastic.” 

Northern carries out train cleaning duties at 42 locations on its network, including four main TrainCare Centres at Allerton (Merseyside), Newton Heath (Grater Manchester), Heaton (Tyne & Wear) and Neville Hill (West Yorkshire). 

Each year, the team carries out 695,000 ‘carriage cleans’ and work their way through 32,759 microfibre cloths, 10,300 sponges, 1,724 litres of toilet cleaner and 2,265 litres of floor and surface cleaners. They also replenish some 26 million pieces of toilet tissue and 778 litres of hand soap. 

Jason Tallamy, global brand director, at 2San said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Northern as they spearhead the way forwards with chemical free cleaning in the rail sector. Not only is Clean Zero sustainable and kind to our environment, but it also provides increased OH&S for cleaning operatives and delivers outstanding cleaning results.” 

On Sunday 10 December, rail timetables across the North of England will change in line with the rest of the National Rail network. Customers are encouraged to use the ‘Check My Timetable’ feature on the Northern website for more information about their local station.   

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.