Paris and London Public Transport's 'War on Bedbugs'... What About Seoul Subway?

Paris and London Subways Wage 'War on Bedbugs'... Seoul Subway Maintains Comfortable Conditions... Seoul Metro Corporation Changes Seat Materials, Conducts Regular Cleaning and Disinfection to Ensure Clean Car Environments... Plans to Renovate Fabric Seats on Line 2 Damaged and Discolored from Long-Term Use

Seoul Metro (President Baek Ho) announced that amid the outbreak of bedbugs on public transportation seats in Paris and London, prompting various countries to wage a 'war against bedbugs,' it is creating a pleasant train environment by changing the material of passenger seats and conducting regular cleaning and disinfection to prevent various contaminants and pests.

The Paris Metro in France is struggling with an unexpected bedbug infestation. Reports of bedbugs have been continuously received not only in the subway but also in trains and airports, heightening citizens' anxiety. Following France, a video showing bugs presumed to be bedbugs crawling on seats in the London Underground has gone viral, raising concerns about the spread of bedbugs in the UK as well.

Steam Cleaning of Guest Room Chairs

With the introduction of new electric trains, the corporation plans to change the passenger seats to composite PC material so that passengers can use the trains more comfortably. Currently, the materials of the passenger seats in the trains operated by the corporation are three types: fabric, stainless steel, and composite PC material. As the new electric trains are introduced, and the seat materials gradually change to composite PC material with improved texture and contamination resistance, the comfort of the trains is expected to increase significantly.

To maintain the cleanliness of passenger seats, the corporation has established cleaning cycles and methods and performs regular cleaning. Fabric seats, which are relatively prone to contamination, are maintained clean through high-temperature steam cleaning. Additionally, fabric seats on Line 2, which have been in use for over 15 years and show wear, damage, and discoloration, will be refreshed by the end of this year.

Cleaning management inside the trains is conducted periodically according to four levels (repetitive cleaning, light cleaning, medium cleaning, and deep cleaning) based on the internal train management regulations.

In particular, considering that the subway is a multi-use facility, the corporation strictly implements pest control to eliminate mosquitoes, flies, mites, and other pests inside the passenger compartments. It also uses bacterial measuring devices to manage contamination levels below 200 RLU (Relative Light Unit), which is half the usual public hygiene standard of 400 RLU. In the past five years, no trains have exceeded the measurement standard. RLU (Relative Light Unit): A unit indicating contamination level based on the concentration of organic compounds on an object.

Going forward, the corporation plans to continuously improve seat materials and request inspections from professional pest control companies to provide cleaner transportation services to subway passengers and create an even more pleasant subway environment.

□ Baek Ho, President of Seoul Metro, said, “Maintaining cleanliness inside trains is essential due to the nature of the subway being used by many people,” adding, “We will continue to maintain cleanliness inside trains through regular cleaning and disinfection, and strive to create a more pleasant train environment by improving seat materials and conducting inspections by professional pest control companies.”