A TRAIN company that operates services through York is creating new jobs in the city as part of a bid to boost its cleaning programme.

TransPennine Express (TPE) has announced an investment of £1.7million further enhancing its existing cleaning programme creating 57 new jobs.

It says 12 of the new positions will be based in Middlesbrough, Newcastle and York.

Applications for the jobs, which are through facilities management and professional services company Mitie are now open.

Along with the recruitment of extra staff, the enhanced programme will see a boost to overnight cleaning plus extended cleaning hours at all TPE stations. Toilet attendants will also be introduced at larger stations including Huddersfield, Hull and Manchester Airport.

With a robust cleaning programme in place as well as social distancing on trains and at stations plus ‘We’re Good To Go’ accreditation from Visit Britain, customers can feel reassured that travelling by train is safe.

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director for TransPennine Express said: “We are thrilled to announce the creation of nearly 60 new jobs plus an additional £1.7million investment in providing further protection for customers across the North.

“Since the start of the pandemic, our team has been working tremendously hard to keep people safe with increased cleaning in place onboard trains and at stations and a real focus on common touchpoints like handrails, door buttons and ticket vending machines. This added investment will allow us to enhance the level of cleaning we provide giving those travelling on our services extra peace of mind.”

Emma Teale, Customer Experience Manager for TransPennine Express said: “We are looking for customer-focused people to join our team from across the communities we operate in, so if you are great at providing excellent customer service and take pride in your work then we would love to work with you.

“Our Mitie colleagues have worked incredibly hard on keeping customers safe and we are committed to keep on improving our cleaning programme during these unprecedented times.”

Customers travelling by train are reminded to buy before they board, travel outside peak times where possible, respect social distancing and wear a face covering.