New Delhi: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently informed Parliament that train passengers must pay for excess baggage that is carried over the free baggage allowance, thus reiterating that the Indian Railways has already established baggage limits since there are plans for baggage checks similar to those offered in airports.
Vaishnaw was responding to a question on Wednesday, asked by a member in the Lok Sabha, Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy, who had asked if the railways were considering baggage regulations similar to those applicable at airports.
The minister, in a written reply, stated: “At present, a maximum class-wise limit has been prescribed for the transport of luggage by the passenger accompanied by him or her inside the compartments.” The details of the free allowance and maximum permitted limit regarding various classes of tickets were also given by the minister.
As given in the information revealed by the Railways, in the Second Class category, the passengers are allowed to carry free of cost a maximum of 35 kg baggage, whereas they are allowed to carry a maximum of 70 kg baggage on payment of specified rates. For Sleeper Class, the free baggage allowance is 40 kg, whereas the maximum allowed baggage is 80 kg.
For passengers travelling in AC 3 Tier as well as Chair Car, the free baggage allowance is fixed at 40 kg, which is also the maximum permitted weight within the compartment. For First Class and AC 2 Tier, passengers can take 50kg of free baggage, with the maximum set at 100 kg. Also, passengers travelling in AC First Class have the maximum baggage allowance with 70 kg baggage free and 150 kg charged.
“The maximum limit includes free allowance,” Vaishnaw clarified, adding, “The passengers are allowed to carry their extra baggage beyond their free allowance inside the compartment only up to a certain maximum depending upon their class of travel.”
“Passengers are allowed to book and carry excess luggage over and above the free allowance along with him or her in the compartment up to the maximum limit as per class as tabulated above on payment of charges at 1.5 times the rate of luggage rate,” said the minister.
Vaishnaw added that the maximum outside dimensions permitted for carrying trunks, suitcases, and boxes inside the passenger compartment are 100 cm in length, 60 cm in breadth, and 25 cm in height. However, according to Vaishnaw, nothing prevents the transportation of luggage larger than the specified sizes in any one dimension from being allowed inside the compartment.
“If the trunks, suitcases, or boxes exceed any one of the dimensions, such luggage is mandatory to be booked and transported in the brake vans (SLRs) or parcel vans and not in the passengers’ compartment,” he explained.
The minister further reiterated the fact that goods or commercial articles are not allowed to be carried inside the passenger compartment at all. Whatever luggage or baggage there is beyond the specified limits needs to be booked and transported inside the brake vans of the trains, subject to the limited volume specified for luggage booking.