Cleaning Thalys trains, it’s a profession all on its own. A job in which flexibility and quality are central. A job in which Mobility Masters excels. That confirms Marie-Ange Sicard, Cleaning & Comfort Contract Manager at Thalys, voted ‘Best international railway company’ in 2021.
Cleaning of Thalys trains is no sinecure
Mobility Masters cleans the interior as well as the sides, the nose and the front and side windows of the Thalys trains. The division of Multi Masters Group also takes care of the so-called ‘comfort maintenance’. This includes the cleaning of seats, toilets and lighting. It seems simple, but the maintenance of high-speed trains is a complex set of tasks. “Mobility Masters deploys specifically trained employees and the appropriate equipment for each task,” says Marie-Ange Sicard (see picture).
Flexibility
Thalys high-speed trains cover long distances. This sometimes involves delays. “Each cleaning job depends on the arrival and departure times of a train. An unforeseen delay can significantly reduce the time available for maintenance.” Mobility Masters has now amply proven its ability to adapt to last minute changes. “With that, the company meets one of our main requirements: to be flexible”, emphasises Marie-Ange Sicard.
Quality controls
In addition to the internal quality checks of Mobility Masters, there are also checks by Thalys. The transport company passes on its feedback to the cleaning company. And that feedback does not fall on deaf ears. “Any points for improvement are adjusted immediately. But even more importantly, they address the people concerned in a constructive manner to explain where things went wrong and to show how they can do things better. That is an incredibly strong point of Mobility Masters. That’s how the division of Multi Masters Group distinguishes itself from other service providers,” says Marie-Ange Sicard.
Cleaning Thalys trains in times of COVID-19
In the past two years the cleaning of Thalys trains was mainly under the sign of COVID-19. This led to adjustments but also to improvements. What these are and what passengers think of them, you can read in the extensive testimony of Marie-Ange Sicard.
