Free bedding, including pillows, sheets and blankets, is provided to passengers travelling in AC classes on Indian Railways trains. The bed linen is included in the ticket fare and must be left behind at the end of the journey.
For years, the bedding supplied by Indian Railways has been plain white. However, the railways appear to have introduced a change to this long-standing practice.
On February 27, Instagram user Oindrila Datta shared a video showing the bedding she and several other passengers received during their journey on one of the new Vande Bharat Sleeper Express trains.
Indian Railways changes bedding colour
Oindrila titled her Instagram Reel, ” POV: Indian Railways said, ‘No more MORGUE aesthetics in 3 AC’.” In the caption, she wrote, “Indian railway just changed the colour white…and it suddenly does not feel like a morgue any more…”
The video shows passengers resting on their berths inside the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express while using sheets featuring colourful block-print designs.
The change has drawn attention because Indian Railways has traditionally supplied plain white cotton sheets in AC coaches. According to the Instagram user, the uniform white bedding often made the coach resemble a morgue.
Internet reacts to the change
The new bedding design received a largely positive response online. One Instagram user commented, “This looks so much warmer and cosier.” Another wrote, “This is so nice.”
However, some users raised concerns about passengers’ civic sense and urged travellers not to take the linen provided on board. One user commented, “JFYI- Please don’t take any of the sheets, blankets and pillows with you that are provided in AC compartments. The railway staff who manage them have to pay from their own pockets for something as cheap as a blanket or sheet, but it affects their already limited salary.”
Others expressed doubts about how the bedding would be maintained. One user wrote, “People will make it dirty as hell or steal it.” Another asked the original poster to clarify that the colourful sheets were introduced only in Vande Bharat Sleeper Express trains and not across all Indian Railways services. “[This is for] Vande Bharat only, that should have been mentioned and normal 3AC costs double in Vande Bharat.”
Hygienic meal service in Vande Bharat Sleeper Express
Earlier, another video shared by a passenger showing hygiene standards in IRCTC’s meal service on the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express had also gone viral on social media. The clip showed a railway staff member distributing meals inside a compartment while wearing a glove, hairnet and mask.