Indian Railways offer two types of luggage transport facilities - 1. Parcel and 2. Luggage. If the passenger is not travelling in the same train, then one has to avail the first option (parcel). And when the passenger is also travelling, then the belongings can be transported through the second option (luggage).
Parcel Booking:
For transporting your luggage as parcel, you need to book the same in advance at the railway parcel office. You just need to fill the particulars in the booking form, pay the required fees and hand over the items to the parcel office guys. From there on, it's the responsibility of the railways to carry the items and deliver them at the destination. Usually parcels are delivered at the destination within 5-7 days. One has to go to the parcel office at the destination railway station with the parcel booking receipt to collect the items.
Luggage Booking:
The second option is to book your belongings as luggage. It can be the preferred mode when you are also travelling in the same train. For booking the items as luggage, you need to have a valid reservation ticket. You need to go to the railway parcel office with the ticket, fill in the luggage booking form and book the items as luggage. After making the payments, you will be given a booking receipt.
On the day of travel, arrive at the railway station a few hours before the scheduled departure time. Go to the parcel office and show then the luggage booking receipt. They will make the arrangement for carrying the luggage to the platform and load the same into the luggage van.
Once you arrive at the destination station, you need to contact the parcel office to offload the luggage from the train. They will also issue a gate pass for you to take the belongings out of the station complex.
You will need to produce a valid Government issued identity proof while booking and collecting the luggage from the railway parcel office. If someone else is collecting the luggage on your behalf at the destination, then make sure to correctly enter his/her details in the booking form. Also make sure to send him/her the copy of the booking receipt by SpeedPost or any other courier service. He/she must bring a valid identity proof that matches the particulars provided by you in the booking receipt.
Luggage Transport vs Parcel Transport:
Luggage transport is faster than parcel transport as you can get the items as soon as the train arrives at the destination railway station. However, the cost of transporting goods as luggage is more than the parceling cost.
Is there any online luggage booking facility available?
As far as I am aware of, there is no online luggage booking facility. You need to physically go to the railway parcel office to book your luggage.
Also how safe is it to transport luggage by trains?
I have personally used the luggage transport service by Indian railways and found it to be pretty safe. I have even
transported my motor bike by train without any problems. For the safety of your goods, it is important that the items are packaged well. So do make sure that the guys are packaging the products carefully. You may even pay a small tip of INR 50 to the packaging guy to ensure that he is packing it well.
Regards,
Deb
Label Your Luggage Properly – Write your name, phone number & destination clearly.
