E-bedroll facility launch postponed

The e-bedroll facility that was supposed to be launched in sleeper-class of long-distance trains leaving CST and Mumbai Central on Wednesday has been postponed for another week, as officials want it to be inaugurated by Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu.

The e-bedroll facility, a sleeping kit that comprises a pillow, two bedsheets and a blanket was to be provided to passengers travelling in AC I, II and III and was covered by their ticket fares. This new scheme would have brought relief as lakhs of passengers who travel outside the city at affordable rates of the sleeper or second-class had to carry their own blankets. Officials have said that although the preparations at CST and Mumbai Central have been made, the final word had not come in. “Basically, the minister will be coming with the Prime Minister for the Make In India week starting next week and people have said that they would prefer that the minister launch the new facility himself,” said an official on the condition of anonymity.

In fact, the bedrolls have been made available on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website at other stations like Central Railway’s Chennai station, Hazrat Nizamuddin at Delhi as well the other railway stations in the city, that is, New Delhi railway station and Trivandrum railway station.

The most innovative thing about the e-bedroll facility is that it is a take-away scheme, which means that commuters can take the bedroll home. At CST, the Neelam Food Plaza will be selling bedrolls to passengers officially and they will be available for commuters at fixed rates, ie Rs 140 for two bed sheets and a pillow and Rs 110 for a blanket, while both can be purchased for the price of Rs 250.