Bangalore's Rajdhani Express to get disposable linen

New Delhi, July 22:

is planning to soon try disposable bed linen in the Bangalore Rajdhani Express, reported

.

Among other initiatives that the Railways is planning for giving you a "clean experience" are bio-toilets, pest-free train coaches and setting up of more cleaning stations along with this disposable linen experience.

According to a senior official, the Railways has this year clubbed all its cleanliness allocation under one head. The budget for this has seen a major increase from last year's Rs 673 crore.

"The cleanliness budget has been increased about 40 per cent this year. There has also been a reallocation of funds under the cleanliness head, so that the money can be targetted towards such work," said Alok Johri, Railway Board member.

However, the use of disposable bed linen - which will cost the Indian Railways roughly Rs 75 a trip, compared with Rs 55 for cotton ones - entails the challenge of overcoming safety hazards more than the price factor.

These disposable sets - each containing a bed cover, a bed sheet, a pillow and a blanket - will add to the fire load of coaches, as these are synthetic and inflammable, unlike their cotton cousins currently in use.

According to Johri, while the Railways is working on this aspect, the new sets, supplied and designed by small-time contractors, also need to appeal to the commuters.

The Railway Board is in a mission mode to make these experiments possible because cleanliness is among the three priority areas Prime Minister Narendra Modi has identified for the country's railway network.

Only time will tell how far these experiments by the Indian Railways, in which crores of Indians commute everyday, will be successful.

OneIndia News