AC coaches are always great fun to travel in. They are insulated and distinctly cleaner than other coaches and make the journey pleasurable. Passengers travelling in AC coaches get bed linen, and blankets before they turn in for the night and now, thanks to the Railway Board, those blankets are all set to be cleaner, softer and of better quality.
The directive issued earlier month has specified that the blankets given to passengers in AC coaches should not have traces of grease, soap, filling, or any other additive to make it firmer, or give it more mass.
Right now, passengers get woollen blankets, which tend to be slightly rough. The current blankets are also smaller in size. They weigh 2.2 kgs and are used for four years.
Now, the revised specifications direct that the fibre content of the blankets should be 60% wool, 15% nylon and it should weigh around 450 grams. The blanket should be of super quality, with 4-sided satin piping, not less than 4 cm stitches per centimetre, and should be washed either once or twice a month, as capacity permits.
These measures should improve things. Right now, the blankets are dry-cleaned once every two months, with the zonal railways taking responsibility albeit sporadically, washing them once every fortnight, once a month, and sometimes, even once in 2-3 months.
This is clearly a problem, and even the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India pulled up the Railways last year, for providing unwashed bed linen to passengers.
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The new, soft blankets should be a distinct improvement over the older ones and the thorough wash-care maintenance schedule of the national transporter should ensure your good night’s sleep!
Feature image credits
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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