Taking into account request from logistics providers and parcel customers, Southern Railway has launched new system of advance booking parcel space up to 120 days in SLRs and Parcel vans attached to passenger carrying trains and time-tabled parcel special trains. This will help the logistics providers and parcel customers to plan well in advance their cargo movement schedules with certainty and will also attract more parcel traffic to Railways.
Salient features of the advance booking of parcel space are listed below:
· Advance booking of parcel spaces in SLRs (8 metric tonnes) and high capacity parcel vans (23/24 tonnes) is allowed up to 120 days in advance of the scheduled departure of the passenger carrying trains or time-tabled parcel specials.
· This advance booking of parcel spaces shall be train specific, i.e, customers have to specify the already notified passenger carrying trains or time tabled parcel trains in which they want to transport their cargo.
· Advance booking shall be allowed only in parcel spaces which are not already leased by Railways.
· This scheme is open to all customers who are interested in transporting cargo through Railways irrespective of the fact whether they are already registered with Railways under leasing scheme or not.
· Any customer willing to book parcel space shall do so for any quantity subject to the maximum carrying capacity of the SLRs or Parcel vans as the case may be in any specific trains.
· Advance payment of freight:
o Customer booking parcel space shall pay 10% of the total freight for the space booked at the time of booking itself. Freight rates are determined as per the category of trains.
o Balance payment of 90% shall be made 72 hours in advance of the scheduled departure of the train in which parcel space is booked.
· Cancellation of booking:
o Customer can cancel the parcel space booked at least 72 hours before the scheduled departure of the train
o On doing so, 50% of the advance freight shall be refunded.
o Failure to utilize the booked parcel space or cancel the booking as per the time limit specified above will lead to forfeiture of entire amount of advance paid.
The above scheme of advance booking of parcel space in trains is available in addition to the already existing scheme of indenting of parcel vans and parcel leasing where parcel spaces in specific trains are leased to registered lease holders for a maximum period of 5 years through open tender. The leasing policy also permits the registered lease holders to opt for temporary leasing of SLRs (8 metric tonnes) for a maximum period of 30 days at a time through quotations. Day to day leasing can also be opted for a maximum of 10 days at a time through quotations. Railways call for quotations whenever there are no long term demand for parcel space in any specific train.
Temporary leasing of space in high capacity Parcel Vans:
Previously the temporary leasing of parcel space for 30 days was open only for SLRs in passenger carrying trains. Now this scheme of temporary leasing of parcel space for 30 days is also made open for parcel vans attached to Passenger carrying trains or time-tabled parcel space as per latest modification in the policy.
This scheme of advance booking will lead to better utilization of parcel spaces in high demand sectors and will also help railways identify the need for enhancing the parcel spaces by attaching additional parcel vans by such high demand trains.
Any customer interested in making the advance booking of parcel space may approach the Parcel office which serves the originating point of the train service in which parcel space is required or the Commercial branch of the division under whose jurisdiction the originating point falls. Customers may also call toll free no.139 for all parcel space booking related queries in this regard.
