Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday (November 27) informed the Lok Sabha that blankets provided to train passengers are washed at least once a month. Additionally, an extra bedsheet is included in the bedroll kit, which passengers can use as a quilt cover. The statements came in response to a question raised by Congress MP Kuldeep Indora.
Vaishnaw was addressing concerns over the hygiene of woollen blankets used on trains, with the MP questioning whether blankets are washed infrequently despite passengers paying for bedding that meets basic hygiene standards.
In his written reply, the minister clarified that the blankets currently used by Indian Railways are designed to be lighter, easy to wash, and offer good insulation to ensure a comfortable travel experience for passengers.
“The blankets used in Indian Railways, as per current specifications, are lighter, easy to wash and provide good insulation to passengers for an overall comfortable journey experience,” Vaishnaw said.
The railway minister also outlined a series of measures aimed at improving passenger comfort and safety, including the procurement of new linen sets that adhere to updated Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications for better quality.
‘Indian Railways laundries are mechanised’
To ensure hygiene, Indian Railways has mechanised laundries that use standard machines and specified chemicals to wash linen. Vaishnaw further explained that the quality of washed linen is monitored using white-meters, and the lifespan of linen items has been shortened to facilitate the faster induction of fresh items.
The minister added that “war rooms” have been set up at zonal and divisional levels to swiftly address complaints related to linen and bedrolls, which can be lodged through the RailMadad portal.
In addition to these measures, Indian Railways has also implemented eco-friendly packaging for bedrolls, along with enhanced logistics for the storage, transportation, and handling of linen and bedrolls at stations and on trains.