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Kerala News

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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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Coming soon: Bedrolls for hire on sleeper trains to Chennai

KOCHI: Are you planning a train journey in sleeper class in the next few months? If so, you can cross off packing that bedsheet and pillow to make your trip comfortable. Taking note of problems faced by passengers, the Chennai division of Southern Railway has announced that from January 1, 2026, the transporter will provide sanitized, ready-to-use bedrolls on an on-demand, on-payment basis. Travellers from Kerala too would be able to avail the facility since two trains from the state have been included in the list of services in which this facility will be introduced.The train services from Kerala are the 22651/22652 Chennai-Palakkad Express, the 12695/12696 Chennai CentralThiruvananthapuram Express, and, the 22639/22640 Chennai-Alappuzha Express, a railway official said. Announcing the initiative, the Chennai division, in a communique, said that till now sleeper class passengers did not have access to an organised provision of bedrolls. To address this, the Chennai division implemented a pilot project under the New Innovative Non-Fare Revenue Ideas Scheme during 2023-24. The pilot project received an overwhelmingly positive response from passengers, prompting the Railways to introduce this service as a regular non-fare revenue initiative. Under the scheme, a bedsheet, pillow, and pillow cover can be obtained on payment of Rs 50; and a pillow and pillow cover for Rs 30. Passengers can get hold of a single bedsheet for Rs 20. The passengers associations have welcomed the move. This initiative will help passengers travelling to Chennai or Mangaluru. Nearly all passengers on Chennai Mail and other trains make do with their bags as pillows while sleeping on bare berths. Now, that wont be necessary. Another thing that makes this initiative good is that it is not compulsory, as in AC, where the fee for bedsheets, pillows, and blankets is included in the fare, said P Krishnakumar, general secretary of Thrissur Railway Passengers Association.

29 Nov 2025 7:49 am