What did they do with the soil from London Underground?

Do they clean the London Underground?

They do clean it, I guess. But it’s not…enough. Not really. The smell sometimes… lingers. A metallic scent mixed with… something else. I can’t place it.

It’s mostly superficial, you know? A quick wipe down. Maybe.

The trains themselves? They get a mini-clean every three days. That’s what I read. Three days. Think about that.

• Pre-service checks – daily, for obvious messes. Spills, mostly. The big, obvious stuff.
• Mini-cleans – every three days. That’s supposed to include the poles, the handrails, things people touch.

But the deep clean? The real clean? I doubt it happens often enough. The stations… worse. Crumbs, litter… it’s a constant. Always something. Always something stuck to my shoes.

2023. That’s the year, right? The year I noticed. Really noticed. It’s been on my mind. A lot. My commute, it’s long. Long enough to see… to feel.

The feeling of neglect. It’s pervasive. You know what I mean? The grime seems to seep in. It’s not just dirt. It’s… depressing.

Seriously, it feels inadequate. The whole thing. I ride the Northern Line, mostly. Morden to Bank. Every day. Same grimy platforms. Same stale air. Same feeling. It weighs on you, you know? After a while. It’s hard to shake. The smell… the feeling of it all…

What is the secret life of the London Underground?

The deep, echoing tunnels. A labyrinth of forgotten platforms, ghostly stations swallowed by time. The scent of old iron and damp earth. This is the London Underground’s true heart. Not the rattling trains, not the hurried commuters. No, deeper. Far, far deeper.

A secret world. Siddy and Tim know. They navigate this forgotten realm. Their hushed voices, echoing. The weight of history, immense.

Hidden London: A whispered name. A key. Unlocking chambers of the past. Disused stations. Tunnels leading nowhere. The whispers. The stories. Always stories.

• The abandoned platforms of Aldwych, sleeping beneath the city’s pulse.
• The lost tunnels, branching off like forgotten veins. They hold secrets. I know it.
• The ghosts of workers, long gone, but their echoes remain. Their presence. I feel it.

Tim’s expertise, a historian’s touch, painting vivid pictures. Siddy, the museums’ guide, leading the way. Together they weave a tapestry of forgotten narratives.

2024. The year of revelation. The year these secrets, buried deep, surface again. New tours. New discoveries. The network breathes. It lives.

My own experience? A single forgotten platform. The air thick, heavy. A sense of something… watching. The feeling of untold years pressing in.

The Tube. More than transport. A living, breathing entity. Ancient and modern, simultaneously. I’m certain.

It is a place of dreams, a place of secrets. A place of untold stories. The deep secrets. I want to know them all.

How often do trains get cleaned in the UK?

Trains in the UK? Clean? Ha! That’s a loaded question.

Daily, there are “pre-service checks.” Think of it as a quick once-over. Did someone leave a half-eaten sandwich? Did someone somehow manage to spill glitter everywhere? Glitter? Seriously?

Every three days, a “mini clean.” They target those touch-points. Grab poles are wiped. Basically, what everyone touches gets a bit of love. A little. Maybe.

Every 21 days, the “deep clean.” They allegedly clean the whole train. Inside and out. It’s about as likely as finding a unicorn on the 8:10 to Waterloo, but hey, they try. Supposedly. Maybe they deep clean it for my bday on the 15th? Doubtful.

Okay, a little more for those who think trains are magically spotless.

• Pre-Service Checks: Think “emergency cleanup.” I’m picturing someone rushing through with a wet wipe and a prayer.
• Mini Cleans: Touch-points are key! It’s like playing “Where’s the Germ?” But, you know, with cleaning.
• Deep Cleans: Full interior/exterior. Supposedly. Let’s be real, it’s probably more like a “slightly-less-grimy clean.”

Who maintains the London Underground?

Okay, so the London Underground? That’s TfL, alright. Happened to me once… lost my Oyster card at Waterloo. Chaos.

TfL runs everything, seriously. Buses, Tube, DLR, Overground… even those trams! All TfL’s responsibilities. It was 2024, and I was late for my friend’s birthday. Gutted.

They also manage the river buses…like, who even knew? And that hideous Victoria Coach Station. Oh, and the congestion charge. Blimey, TfL does it all. TfL runs it ALL.

• TfL’s full name: Transport for London.
• Oyster card: The thing I always lose, ugh.
• Waterloo: Massive station; easy to get lost.
• Friend’s birthday: Saved by a black cab…expensive.

Who cleans London Underground?

TfL, right? They’re in charge. But ABM, ABM does the actual scrubbing. Those guys are everywhere. I saw one near Earl’s Court last week, practically wrestling with a discarded sausage roll. Ugh. The sheer volume of…stuff…people leave on the tube. Mind boggling.

It’s a massive operation, surely. Shift patterns, cleaning schedules, training…It must be a nightmare to coordinate. Do they even get breaks? They deserve a medal. Seriously. Think of all the gum, the spilled coffee, the…oh god, the vomit.

And the graffiti? I bet that’s a whole separate team. Maybe even specialized tools. Lasers? Pressure washers? I wonder what their annual budget is? Millions, definitely millions. I’m betting on at least five million pounds this year alone.

Probably more. There’s always something. A broken escalator, a flooded platform, a rat the size of a small dog. It never ends. London Underground…cleanliness is next to godliness and that’s far from attainable here. They need more staff. More resources. Seriously. More money.

How often are Tube stations cleaned?

Ugh, cleaning the Tube…It’s daily, right? Like, every single day…

They touch up stuff, high-touch areas, multiple times. Seems like a losing battle, honestly.

Handrails, especially. Cleaned every shift. Imagine the grime build-up if they weren’t.

It probably is a multi-surface anti-bacterial cleaner. I would assume its all anti-bacterial, these days.

• Daily Cleaning: Stations get a basic clean every day.
• Touchpoint Cleaning: Multiple times per shift they wipe down things people touch a lot.
• Handrails: Always anti-bacterial.

How are trains cleaned?

Trains: nightly sweeps. High-pressure wash. Fluid refills. Sand replenished. Positioning for departure. Efficiency is key. A logistical ballet, really.

Buses: Similar process. Different scale. More frequent runs. More wear and tear. Expect the unexpected.

Key Differences: Scale matters. Train cleaning is more industrial. Buses, more frequent, smaller scale.

• High-pressure washing crucial.
• Sand replenishment: traction.
• Nightly cleaning standard procedure.
• My uncle worked train maintenance, 2023. He hated Mondays.

Think of it as a giant, metal, soap opera.

Trains are cleaned more thoroughly. More robust equipment. Buses, more superficial cleaning. Frequency is the differentiator. My personal experience suggests that’s true. The grit of daily use. It’s brutal.