Internal MTA reports first made public by the New York Daily News shed light on the ongoing struggle to keep subways clean and the challenges straphangers face with soiled and filthy subway cars. 

According to the report, the 4 train takes the No. 1 spot for the highest number of incidents of soiled subway cars that need to be cleaned so far this year, with 128 incidents to date.

It's closely followed by the 6 train and the 2 train, and those lines have continuously taken some of the top spots since 2018, the report says.

That’s according to a chart of incidents for the last few years sent to News 12 by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 

Photos provided to News 12 by Transport Workers Union Local 100 show some of these cars covered with food, unknown substances and piles of garbage. 

One of the images appears to show a thick red liquid that workers treated like a hazardous substance. 

The president of TWU local 100 tells News 12 that the MTA needs to immediately hire cleaners and that there are vacancies that need to be filled--adding that the problem will only get worse if they don’t. 

An MTA spokesperson responded to News 12 in a statement, saying in part,  “These unsanitary conditions are a challenge for our professional cleaners, who work hard every day to ensure trains and stations are clean for riders. We continue to maintain the enhanced cleaning regimen started at the onset of the pandemic.” 

The agency is also calling on the city to increase mental health and social services to help curb the problem.