Kirkby timetable changes as class 777 roll out continues

FOLLOWING the successful introduction of the 1st of the new Class 777 trains this week, further timetable changes are being made to the Kirkby line to help accelerate the implementation of the ground breaking new fleet of trains onto this part of the Merseyrail network. Starting from:- Monday, 30 January 2023, the new trains will be in service on the Kirkby line from:- 6:13am, and will continue until:-7:35pm. The Kirkby line service will be served by a mixture of old and new fleet until driver training has been completed on this part of the network. The Class 777s will be in service from:- Monday to Saturday, but will not yet be used on Sundays. Passengers need to be aware that this means there will be cancellations of some services on Monday-Saturday for the foreseeable future. There will be 3 trains per hour running from:- 7am, until the normal half hourly evening schedule which runs from:-7:13pm to the end of service. A full timetable of trains from:- Kirkby to Liverpool Central, and from:- Liverpool Central to Kirkby, can be found on the Merseyrail website, at:- Merseyrail.Org. The Units will also be running without passengers on the rest of the network, as drivers and trains are going under tests. 

Zoe Hands, Chief Operating Officer at Merseyrail, said:- "We have been delighted with the successful launch of the new trains on the Kirkby line this week and the overwhelmingly positive reaction from our passengers. However, we want to crack on with the roll out to get as many new trains into passenger service as soon as possible. To do this our driver training programme will ramp up across the coming weeks. This does mean a reduction in the frequency of services on the Kirkby line while this happens, but we will ensure that a full timetable can be restored as soon as possible. Merseyrail apologises for any inconvenience that this temporary reduction in frequency will cause passengers."

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Your door and cabinet handles are 8 times dirtier than a toilet seat

THE door and cabinet handles in your home are covered in up to 8 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat, new research has found. The study, conducted by IronMongeryDirect the UK's largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, swabbed door and cabinet handles around multiple homes to reveal the areas where bacteria is most likely to linger. Internal bathroom door handles are the dirtiest, with an average of 93 bacteria colonies per cm2 of surface (CFU/cm2). This is almost 8 times dirtier than a toilet seat (12 CFU/cm2). The kitchen is also a hotspot for germs, with food and cutlery cabinets hosting 4 times as many bacteria colonies as a toilet (54 vs 12 CFU/cm2).

The dirtiest handles in the home are:-

	Item swabbed	Average CFU/cm2
1	Bathroom inner door	93
2	Bathroom outer door	57
3	Kitchen cabinet	54
4	Living room door	52
5	Bedroom cabinet	47
6	Front door	31
7	Kitchen door	31
8	Toilet seat	12

As part of the research, IronmongeryDirect surveyed the nation to see how often Brits clean the door and cabinet handles in their home. Experts recommend that they are cleaned at least once a week, but almost 2/3 (63%) of adults admit that they don't wipe them this regularly. In fact, 1 in 7 (14%) Brits say that they never clean their handles at all.

Caroline Rowney, Director at Bacteria Busters, explains the consequences of not keeping these surfaces clean. "Door handles are an excellent place for bacterial transference and harbour germs for far longer than other surfaces. Bacteria and germs such as Salmonella, Covid19 and MRSA can survive on handles for hours, days and even weeks."

This can increase the likelihood of you or others catching an illness, so Caroline has shared expert advice on how to properly clean the handles in your home.

1. Isopropyl alcohol spray:- "If you are in a hurry, a quick spray of this will kill most germs."

2. Warm soapy water:- "For the best finish and a more thorough clean, soak a cloth in a bowl of warm water and dish soap, and, after wringing it out, use that to clean the handles."

3.Clean cloth and wax:- "Wipe away the moisture with a clean, dry cloth and then use another to smooth a little wax over the handle, leaving it shiny and fresh."

4. Flour, salt and vinegar:- "If your handles are made of copper, brass or pewter, the technique is slightly different. Create a paste using a tablespoon of flour, salt and vinegar, then rub that into your handles, allowing it to sit for a couple of minutes before removing it with hot, soapy water. Use a very soft cloth to then gently buff the handle to a shiny finish."

Dominick Sandford, Managing Director, at IronmongeryDirect, said:- "It's easy to overlook door and cabinet handles when you're cleaning your home, but we touch them multiple times a day, passing on dirt, grease and ultimately bacteria each time we do. Our research has highlighted the importance of regularly cleaning these surfaces, particularly those in high use areas, such as the bathroom and kitchen - the images are certainly not for the squeamish!"

For more information about the research, including additional swabbing images and expert advice on keeping your handles clean, visit:-ironmongerydirect.Co.UK/Blog.