Bedroll kits a big hit with rail passengers

Chennai: The bedroll kits introduced at Chennai central station have turned out to be a instant hit among long-distance passengers going by the initial booking trends.

The first day saw around 25 kits being en sold and the second day saw 39 kits.

Also, 220 online bookings for the bedroll kit have already been done, according to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) officials.

Commuters travelling by sleeper classes have purchased about 80 per cent of the kits, officials said.“The blanket is really soft and the woolen bed-sheet is far better than the bed-sheets provided in 3-AC and 2-AC coaches. As I can carry it along with me, I feel it is really worth it,” said K.C. Suresh, who was heading to Coimbatore by Mangalore Express.

The bedroll kit packed in a non-woven fabric bag consisting of two cotton bed-sheets and a pillow is available at the counter for Rs 140 and a blanket kit packed in a non-woven bag consisting of one blanket cost Rs 110.

“Initial sale trends of the bedroll kit and the number of bookings that are currently on shows that the product has a good acceptance among the public. Most of the kits were sold to passengers traveling to adjacent southern states as many north-bound commuters are still unaware of the facility,” said K. Mohanavel, an IRCTC official based in Chennai central station. The facility has been launched at Thiruvananthapuram central, Hazrat Nizamuddin station and at New Delhi station apart from Chennai central.