New Delhi: Whether embarking on a long train journey or traveling with family for a wedding, excess luggage often becomes a hassle for rail passengers. Booking luggage in the luggage van is typically considered a cumbersome task. However, you are now free from these troubles. Making rounds of the parcel office upon reaching the station, standing in long queues, and wasting time on paperwork will soon be a thing of the past. Now, you can book and pay for your excess luggage online with a single click while booking your train ticket, and carry the extra luggage with you in the coach by paying the applicable charges.
The facility to book luggage online alongside the ticket will be available only to passengers holding confirmed tickets. Furthermore, it will apply only to those travel classes where there is a provision to carry excess luggage upon payment of a fee. Passengers traveling in AC First Class, AC 2-Tier, First Class, Sleeper Class, and Second Class will be able to avail of this facility. However, passengers traveling in AC 3-Tier and AC Chair Car will not have access to this facility, as the maximum permissible luggage limit and the free luggage allowance are identical in these classes.
According to current railway luggage rules, AC First Class passengers can carry up to 70 kg of luggage without extra charge and are permitted to carry up to a maximum of 150 kg by paying a fee. In AC 2-Tier and First Class, passengers can carry 50 kg for free and up to a maximum of 100 kg.
For Sleeper Class passengers, the free allowance is 40 kg, and they can carry a total of up to 80 kg by paying a fee. In Second Class, passengers are allowed 35 kg for free and up to a maximum of 70 kg. On the other hand, for AC 3-Tier and AC Chair Car passengers, the 40 kg limit serves as both the free allowance and the maximum permissible limit; therefore, the option to book excess luggage will not be available for these classes. Additional charges applicable
The Railways has also clarified that passengers carrying luggage exceeding the free allowance—but within the prescribed maximum limit—will be required to pay an additional luggage charge.
Size limits also specified
In addition to weight limits, the Railways has also established rules regarding the dimensions of luggage. Generally, passengers may carry trunks, suitcases, or boxes measuring up to 100 cm × 60 cm × 25 cm inside passenger coaches. However, for passengers traveling in AC 3-Tier and AC Chair Car coaches, the maximum luggage size has been set at 55 cm × 45 cm × 22.5 cm.
