(ANSA) -Italian rail is set to clean up its trains after a series of embarrassing incidents involving lice and ticks.
The company has fired its old cleaners and hired new contractors after an international bidding war that drew 365 bids. Half of these were from foreign companies, but in the end Trenitalia opted for 13 Italian firms.
The successful bids were in line with the highest international standards, Trenitalia CEO Roberto Testore said.
He said new internal watchdogs would monitor the fresh clean-up force.
Regular passenger satisfaction surveys would also be set up. "The judge of cleanliness will be the client," Testore said, admitting that until recently Italian train hygiene "was in the Middle Ages."
Testore reacted to the cleaning crisis by mothballing more than 500 old carriages last month.
There have been several cases of bug invasions since the summer but a new low came last month when a rat was spotted scurrying along an Intercity train travelling from Naples to Rome.
The other incidents - the majority in northern Italy - have involved insects.
In one case passengers stormed off an international train from France to Italy after finding bugs crawling all
over their skin.
Passengers, consumer associations and politicians have demanded improvement in train hygiene.
