Passengers need to pay charges for carrying luggage beyond free allowance limits in trains: Vaishnaw

New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that passengers need to pay charges for carrying luggage beyond the prescribed free allowance limits while travelling by train.

Vaishnaw was responding to questions raised by MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy who sought to know whether Railways would implement baggage regulations for train passengers on the lines of practice being followed at airports.

"At present, class-wise maximum limit has been prescribed for carriage of luggage by the passenger along with him/her inside the compartments," Vaishnaw said in a written reply, while providing class-wise free allowance and maximum limits in a tabular format.

According to the information shared, a passenger travelling in Second Class is allowed to carry 35 kg of luggage free of cost and up to 70 kg on a chargeable basis. For Sleeper Class passengers, the free allowance is 40 kg with a maximum permissible limit of 80 kg.

Passengers travelling in AC 3 Tier or Chair Car are permitted a free allowance of 40 kg, which is also the maximum limit.

First Class and AC 2 Tier passengers are permitted to carry 50 kg of luggage free of cost and up to 100 kg as the maximum limit. AC First Class passengers can carry 70 kg free of cost and up to 150 kg on a chargeable basis.

"The maximum limit includes free allowance," Vaishnaw said.

He added, "Passengers are allowed to book and carry excess luggage beyond free allowance with him/her in the compartment up to the maximum limit as per class as tabulated above on payment of charges at 1.5 times of luggage rate.”

According to Vaishnaw, trunks, suitcases and boxes having outside measurements of 100 cmx60cmx25 cm (length x breadth x height) are allowed to be carried in the passenger compartments as personal luggage.

"If the trunks, suitcases and boxes whose outside measurement exceeds any one of the dimensions, such articles are required to be booked and carried in the brakevan (SLRs)/ parcel vans and not in the passengers' compartments," the minister clarified.

He further said that merchandised items are not allowed for booking and carriage in the compartment as personal luggage.

He reiterated the Railways' norms that excess luggage, over and above the prescribed limit, is carried in the brake van (SLRs) of the trains subject to the maximum limit prescribed to be booked in brake vans as luggage.