GUWAHATI: The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has set up a state-of-the-art laundry facility in Guwahati to boost a daily capacity of 16,000 bedroll packets. This modern facility employs a tunnel-based system to efficiently process large volumes of linen while minimising resource consumption, including water, power, and chemicals. The automated system ensures a seamless flow of linen through various cleaning stages, maintaining both efficiency and quality.
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Indian Railways is making efforts to improve passenger comfort and hygiene by using state-of-the-art technology for providing high-quality linen and bedrolls to travellers in air-conditioned (AC) sleeper classes. Officials have assured that all linen, including bed sheets and blankets, is thoroughly washed in mechanised laundries after each use.
According to Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR, all linen is thoroughly washed in mechanised laundries after every single use. Blankets, which are typically washed once a month, are now cleaned more frequently based on necessity, with intervals as short as 15 days when required.
Each AC passenger is provided with a bedroll kit containing two bed sheets—one for spreading over the berth and another to use as a cover for the blanket. Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) passengers also receive a complete linen set, ensuring parity with other passengers. With AC coach temperatures maintained at around 24°C, blankets are not always necessary, and the provision of clean bed sheets is often sufficient for passenger comfort.
Indian Railways has also introduced linen sets adhering to stricter Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications. Mechanised laundries, equipped with standardised machines and branded chemicals, ensure hygienic washing, while Whito-meters are used to verify the cleanliness of items. A network of war rooms at zonal and divisional headquarters has been set up to monitor complaints and address issues promptly via the Rail Madad portal.
Additional measures include improved logistics for the storage, transportation, and eco-friendly packaging of bedrolls. Lighter, easily washable blankets offering better insulation have also been introduced, further enhancing passenger comfort.
