In the earliest days of railways, steam was energy for the first locomotives. Now, the railway and public transport operators are deeply focused on disinfection its rolling stock to provide safe journeys for their customers. To this end, they are using steam as an efficient disinfectant for cleaning trains and trams.
After successful tests, Polish regional railway operator Koleje Śląskie, which provides train services in Silesian Voivodeship, has started to clean its trains with a dry vapour steam cleaner. The device disinfects surfaces (seats, floors, windows, toilets) with superheated steam that has a temperature exceeding 170 degrees Celsius and is generated at a pressure of up to 9 bars. This advanced technology allows the steam to penetrate even the deepest fibres of the material.
After disinfecting the train seats with superheated steam, their surfaces remain dry and do not require additional cleaning. Koleje Śląskie calls this feature the main advantage of the solution. In addition, the device is able to collect impurities into a special container.