Rs 80-cr Wadi Bunder laundry to ensure cleaner linen in CR coaches

According to railway officials,the proposed laundry will have minimum human intervention as the entire cycle of washing,drying,ironing and folding will be mechanised. The laundered bedrolls will be dropped into trolleys,which then will be taken away by the labourers. The facility will have capacity to launder 12,000 bed rolls per day,including bed sheets,pillow covers,towels,curtains and blankets. It will cater to passenger of the trains originating from CSTM,Dadar and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.

“One the of salient features of this facility is that it would work round-the-clock. It is energy saving and consumes less water. It will improve the quality of washed linens. CR is also planning to set up similar facilities in other metros,” said Kul Bushan,member electrical of Railway Board and general manager,CR.

The present Chairman of the Railway Board,Vinay Mittal,had initiated the process to set up the state-of-the-art laundry facility during his previous posting as the CR’s additional general manager. Besides reducing the number of complaints from passengers,the new service will also help Railways save Rs 1 crore towards in-house washing and outsourcing expenses.

Currently,CR has a laundry of 1 tonne capacity at Wadi Bunder that washes about 2,000 bed rolls in two shifts. The bulk of the CR’s laundry has been outsourced to a private facility at Pune.

“At present,CR has to maintain a week’s spare stock as four days are consumed in transporting the stocks from Mumbai to Pune,washing and transporting it back. Now with the laundry services site in Mumbai,day-to-day monitoring and supervision will be possible,” Bhushan added.