Henkel
Henkel Improves the Art of Removing Graffiti from Trains
- This article first appeared in the Railway-News magazine Issue 2 2022.
Trains and trams are a favourite target for graffiti ‘artists’, creating a major headache for rail companies. In practice, it is not possible to lock all rolling stock away during non-operating hours, leaving trains vulnerable to attack. As a result, the only real solution is to find a quick, effective and economic way of removing graffiti. Here, a new-generation, non-harmful solvent from Henkel delivers a new level of performance on painted surfaces and glass, as evidenced by recent trials involving Technicentre SNCF Midi-Pyrénées in Toulouse, France.
Antagonists and would-be artists love to leave their ‘tags’ on rolling stock. To help deter these nuisance attacks, adopting a strategy of rapid removal can serve to prevent copycat or ‘retaliatory’ graffiti from rival artists. Of course, this tactic also helps to protect the reputation of the rail company and can drive up business. Customer expectations are high when it comes to feeling safe and comfortable on the rail network, but preciously few passengers are likely to feel this way with graffiti-covered rail carriages.
With these thoughts in mind, maintenance teams in the rail industry tasked with graffiti removal can now take advantage of Bonderite C-MC 450, a non-harmful, newgeneration solvent mix that is available in liquid or gel form to remove graffiti from nonporous materials such as glass and painted surfaces. The product also works on sensitive surfaces such as PVC, polycarbonate and acrylic plexiglass, although Henkel recommends compatibility trials before application.
