TfL trials UV light cleaning technology on mission against coronavirus spread on London Underground

Transport for London (TfL) has revealed it is trialling innovative virus-killing cleaning methods on its mission to minimise the spread of Covid-19 on the Tube.

As part of a bid to keep public transport safe, TfL has already said its staff are on more frequent cleaning rotas, and have started scouring all buses, Tubes and trains with "hospital grade disinfectant".

Face masks have also been mandatory for almost a month, with TfL reporting a 90 per cent compliance rate from passengers.

One-way systems and queueing arrangements will be implemented in many stations, and 1,000 hand sanitising points have been installed.

Now the body has said it is trying out "innovative methods", including UV light machines to clean surfaces inside Tube stations.

In a first for the London Underground, machines beaming UV light rays onto handrails running along escalators have been installed at points across the Tube network.

Multiple reports have indicated that Covid-19 thrives less well in hot climates and when exposed to sun rays, and scientists have explained that UV radiation damages the genetic material of viruses and their ability to replicate.

Viruses such as Covid-19 are susceptible, as they have thin cell membranes which can be easily penetrated.

Hand rails are an obvious Covid-19 spreading ground if not cleaned thoroughly, with thousands of hands potentially leaving virus particles for the next commuter to pick up.

If the trial proves successful, UV light technology could be installed "more widely" as a cleaning method throughout the London Underground going forward.

In a statement released today, TfL said: "A trial is underway to use UV light to clean the handrails on escalators on the Tube network.

"The device, which could help supplement TfL’s extensive anti-viral cleaning regime, is connected to the escalator handrail and uses its motion to power a UV bulb that breaks down surface contamination to sanitise the handrail.

"TfL is now assessing the benefits of the technology, which could be installed more widely in the future."

Speaking on a webinar last month, Vernon Everitt, TfL’s Managing Director of Customers, Communication and Technology, suggested that UV light rays are just one of the technological cleaning methods being explored by the body.

He said: "We are using hospital grade disinfectant on all surfaces which kill viruses immediately and protect those surfaces for 30 days, and we are replenishing that on a cycle.

"We are looking at other innovations, like using UV light, to kill germs."

The NHS has also previously trialled using robots dispensing UV light to clean wards, with the first NHS trial undertaken at London's Queen's Hospital in Romford in 2016.

TfL's new Transport Commissioner, Andy Byford, said: "As customers continue to return in greater numbers as pandemic restrictions are gradually eased, there are some simple steps that everyone can take to ensure they stay safe. This includes travelling at quieter times, regular hand cleaning and staying alert to the latest Government advice.

“We all want London to continue to get back on its feet, and TfL is fully focussed on supporting this as we strive to make sure that customers and staff are safe.”

A 2018 study from Columbia University, published in Scientific Reports, showed UV light can kill more than 95 per cent of pathogens.

Dr Penny Ward, chair of the Education and Standards Committee of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine at King's College London, has said: "UV irradiation and high heat are known to kill virus particles on surfaces and coronavirus particles are no exception to this general rule."It comes as news emerged that a Bahraini tech company is the latest to develop a robot that uses short-wave UV light to kill Covid-19 by rupturing its DNA.

The robot, which creators Fab Lab Bahrain aim to release for sale, uses a process known as 'ultraviolet germicidal irradiation'.

The company claims its light is so powerful it can kill up to 90 per cent of all organisms exposed to it within half an hour.

A Denmark-based company, UVD Robots, is already selling a £53,370 UV light machine which claims to destroy most virus cells from rooms in under 20 minutes.

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