CLEANING carriages on Severn Valley Railway's trains will become much easier thanks to cash generated by a commercial partnership deal.

West Bromwich Building Society's Severn Valley Railway - SVR - affinity account has provided the bulk of the £80,000 railway coach wash that is on its way to the rail company within the next two months.

Each year, the building society pays one per cent of the average balance of all savings accounts in the scheme to the railway.

The latest contribution will enable SVR to save many man hours during the year in cleaning time as the carriages will go through the car wash-style equipment.

Trains and their carriages are out in all weathers, travelling a total distance each year of more than 70,000 miles, getting covered in dirt, which currently takes hours of arduous cleaning manually.

John Leach, SVR's marketing manager, said: "The railway coach wash is long overdue.

"Not only is it extremely time consuming to wash a coach by hand but, because of the length and height of them, they are difficult to clean as well.

"This new coach wash will put an end to all of that and will be greatly welcomed by our staff."

Rob Williams, senior operations manager with West Bromwich Building Society, said: "As a society, we are delighted to witness the ongoing and growing success of the Severn Valley Railway.

"This railway brings pleasure to thousands of people each year and their visit will be made even more enjoyable thanks to a sparkling clean railway," he added.