'HARD-WORKING' colleagues at a train firm, which operates in York, cleaned the rail operator's carriages almost one million times in 2021.

A total of 952,514 cleans were carried out by Northern members of staff – the equivalent of cleaning one carriage at least three times every day.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: "We are dedicated to providing enhanced cleaning at stations and on-board its trains. We know cleanliness, now more than ever, is vitally important for our customers.

"We’ve invested in more cleaning staff than ever before - and our enhanced cleaning regime is designed to protect customers and staff. Our message to our customers is clear, you can travel with Northern with confidence."

Northern has more than 600 dedicated cleaning staff working on trains and at stations with a particular focus on touch points such as tables, buttons, and toilets.

The enhanced cleaning regime is designed to protect customers and staff by reducing the potential risk of Covid-19 transmission, which is already proven to be "extremely low" on the rail network.

Northern is also asking customers to be considerate of others and wear a face covering, which are now mandatory, unless exempt, on trains and at stations.