Railway withdraws parcel booking at Kasaragod, Thalassery; only 5 stations now have this facility

Payyanur: The Railways will discontinue parcel booking services at two more major stations in Malabar. From Saturday, parcel services will no longer be available at Kasaragod and Thalassery railway stations.

With this, only Mangaluru, Kannur, Kozhikode, Tirur and Shoranur stations will offer parcel booking facilities along the 307-km stretch between Mangaluru and Shoranur. Parcel services had already been withdrawn from stations including Payyanur and Kanhangad.

Under the existing railway rules, passengers can book items ranging from fish to motorcycles for transport by train. However, parcel loading and unloading is permitted only at stations where the train has a minimum 5-minute halt. In Kerala, most trains do not have a five-minute stop even at major (A-class) stations.

The Netravati Express, which carries large volume of parcels to Mumbai, had its halt at Kozhikode extended from 3 minutes to 5 minutes to facilitate parcel handling.

For parcel transport in the luggage van, both the originating and destination stations must have a 5-minute halt. At stations such as Kannur, where many trains stop for only 3 minutes, goods are currently transported under the luggage system instead. However, this requires the sender or recipient to hold a valid passenger ticket.

Luggage allowed with passengers

The Railways permits passengers to carry a specified amount of luggage free of cost, subject to weight and size limits. Additional luggage can be carried on payment of extra charges. If the weight exceeds the prescribed maximum limit, it must be transported in the luggage van.

Passengers carrying luggage beyond the permitted weight or size without following the rules may face penalties. Excess baggage also occupies space meant for passengers and can inconvenience fellow travellers.

Permissible luggage allowance

Second Class: 35 kg (up to 70 kg on payment of excess luggage charges)

• Sleeper Class: 40 kg (up to 80 kg with additional charges)

• Third AC: 40 kg (additional weight permitted on payment of applicable charges)

• Second AC: 50 kg (up to 100 kg with additional charges)

• First Class: 70 kg (up to 150 kg with additional charges)