NFR commissions modern laundry facility in Katihar Division

Maligaon, May 25 (MExN): Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has commissioned a modern BOOT Laundry facility at Rautara under Katihar Division as part of efforts to enhance passenger comfort and hygiene standards.

According to an official statement, the facility has a processing capacity of 24 tonnes per day and is capable of meeting the entire linen washing requirements of Katihar Division.

The railway said the facility would ensure uninterrupted supply of clean and hygienic bedrolls even during peak travel seasons.

The newly commissioned laundry will cater to major Katihar Division-based trains, including the Amrapali Express and Champaran Humsafar Express.

Equipped with advanced automated machinery, the facility is designed to provide “100 per cent stain-free washing”, thereby improving passenger comfort and reducing complaints related to hygiene and linen quality during train journeys.

The fully mechanised laundry system has been developed to efficiently handle large volumes of linen while optimising the use of water, power, steam and chemicals.

Under the process, soiled linens are first weighed and fed into an automatic conveyor system before being loaded through computerised operations into a tunnel batch washer for cleaning.

Following the washing process, robotic feeding systems transfer the linens to dryers, while water extraction is carried out using a hydraulic pressing system to maximise moisture removal.

The linens are then dried in industrial dryers through shuttle conveyor systems before being processed through advanced ironing and automatic folding machines for finishing.

To maintain quality standards, a Whiteness Meter is used to assess the cleanliness and brightness of the linens before dispatch. The linen sets are then hygienically packed and supplied to the respective trains.

NFR said eight mechanised laundries are currently operational across the zone.

It also informed that the capacity of the existing mechanised laundry at Kamakhya has been enhanced from four tonnes to six tonnes to meet the growing demand for quality linen services.

The railway described the commissioning of the BOOT Laundry facility as another important initiative aimed at improving onboard passenger amenities and maintaining high standards of cleanliness, hygiene and comfort for passengers travelling across Katihar Division.