New York City Transit
Supporting NYCT with cleaning and disinfection of subway cars and buses, including the use of UV light.
New York City Transit (NYCT)
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USA
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2020-2022
The New York Subway fleet collectively travels over 365 million miles per year
Each day in New York City, over five million people travel by subway, and over two million by bus
Challenges
- Hiring and deploying third-party contractors to clean and disinfect the interiors and touch surfaces of subway cars and buses.
- Developing first-hand knowledge of equipment, products, and labor techniques.
- Identifying the best practices for implementing a COVID-19 mitigation program in a dense urban environment with minimal effects on daily operations.
- Developing a protocol for overseeing pre- and post-cleaning testing of the interiors of subway cars and buses to assess bacterial loads.
Solutions
- Designed and oversaw pilot programs for short-listed firms to determine third-party contractors that could perform the work in the most efficient and contract-compliant manner.
- Assisted with the assessment of new technologies aimed at mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on both rail and bus vehicles.
- Reviewed contractor submittals for ultraviolet, antimicrobial, biocidal, photocatalytic oxidation, and other technologies that had never before been used in the transportation industry.
- Researched products and methods for cleaning and disinfection on various types of surfaces.
- Implemented an ultraviolet (UV) light pilot program that was effectively used in the disinfection process.
- Provided guidance and recommendations to NYCT on testing and validation measures.
Highlights
- The cleaning and disinfection efforts succeeded in lowering the risk of contracting COVID-19 on New York City's subways and buses.
- Swab tests on the vehicles showed a reduction of the viral load to near zero.
- Monitoring and managing the cleaning and disinfection process assured ridership that the transit system was safe.
Project numbers
15.3 million people served by the Metropolitan Transportation Department (MTA), North America's largest transportation network.
6,500 NYCT subway cars and a fleet of nearly 6,000 buses are operated by the MTA.
150 UV lights were purchased in May of 2020 at a cost of $1 million.
$371 million spent by the MTA on the COVID-19 pandemic, including $124 million to disinfect train cars at end-of-line terminals, and another $69 million to wipe down subway stations, as of November 2020, according to MTA data.