The Hidden Cost Of Railway Linen Theft: How Missing Bedrolls Cut Into The Wages Of Train Attendants

Lucknow: As passengers settle into their berths on an overnight train, the ritual is almost effortless. A sealed paper packet containing two freshly laundered bedsheets, a pillow, pillow cover, blanket and towel arrives within minutes. Few stop to think about the journey of that bundle or the young men who spend their days and nights ensuring it reaches every passenger.

For Ashish Singh, 29, that bundle is more than a comfort for travellers. It is also a source of anxiety.

Working as a bedroll attendant on the Lucknow-Vadodara Superfast Express, Ashish begins his shift by counting hundreds of linen packets loaded into the train. In his allotted coach of 2AC he delivers them to passengers, keeps track of the inventory and, before the train reaches its destination, collects every used item for dispatch to the laundry.

Every missing towel, bedsheet or blanket could cost him or his colleagues money.."It is not just about distributing linen," Ashish said while handing over bedroll packets to passengers in the AC coach. "We have to account for every item."

An RTI reply highlights the scale of the problem. Between 2022 and May 2026, Indian Railways lost more than 1.27 crore linen items, including blankets, bedsheets, towels, pillows and pillow covers. The estimated financial loss exceeded Rs 104 crore.

Behind those staggering numbers are thousands of onboard attendants whose salaries often bear the burden of passenger theft.

Uma Shankar, another bedroll attendant employed by Tharu & Sons, the contractor providing linen services on the train, earns Rs 15,800 a month. Another Rs 2,200 is deposited towards his provident fund.

His earnings, however, are vulnerable to deductions."If a passenger takes away a towel, Rs 75 is deducted from us. A missing bedsheet costs Rs 250. If a blanket disappears, Rs 1,100 is cut from our wages," he said.

For workers earning modest salaries, even a few missing items can wipe out a substantial portion of their monthly income.

The attendants have little control over the situation. They cannot frisk passengers or prevent someone from slipping a towel or blanket into their luggage before getting off the train. Yet they often end up paying for losses they cannot stop.

Throughout the journey, the attendants move from coach to coach carrying bulky linen sacks, distributing fresh packets and later collecting used ones. Between stations, they stack large bundles of bedsheets, pillow covers and blankets in the vestibules connecting coaches before they are unloaded for laundering at the destination.

The work is physically demanding. During peak travel seasons, attendants handle hundreds of linen packets in a single trip while simultaneously responding to passenger requests for extra blankets, replacement sheets or missing towels.

Their responsibility extends beyond distribution. Every packet issued must be accounted for at the end of the journey.

The RTI figures suggest that linen theft is far from an isolated problem. Losing more than 1.27 crore items in just over four years translates into thousands of blankets, towels and bedsheets disappearing every day across the railway network.

While the financial loss officially runs into more than Rs 104 crore, attendants say the real cost is borne by workers at the bottom of the system.

Many passengers may view taking home a railway towel or blanket as a harmless souvenir. For a bedroll attendant earning less than Rs 16,000 a month, that souvenir could mean losing a day's wages.

Ironically, the workers are responsible for safeguarding property they have little authority to protect. They cannot inspect luggage, confront passengers or compel anyone to return missing linen. Their only option is to hope that every item they distribute comes back.

As the train rolled towards Vadodara, Ashish continued walking through the coaches with paper-wrapped linen packets tucked under his arm, smiling as he handed them to passengers occupying berths 49 and 50. By the end of the journey, he would make another round, collecting every sheet, towel and blanket, silently hoping the final count matched the one he began with.

For millions of railway passengers, the bedroll is simply part of the ticket. For the attendants who deliver it, every missing item is a reminder that the price of someone else's theft is often paid by those who can least afford it.