Indian Railways is soon going to start ‘door-to-door’ parcel service in eight cities. Through ‘Rail Parcel App – Ghar Se Ghar Tak’, customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune will be able to book ‘Doorstep Pickup’ and ‘Delivery’ for parcels sent by Railways. This initiative is part of efforts by the Railways to increase the coverage of its services. According to an ET report, under this model, the logistics partners will handle ‘first-mile pickup’ (initial pickup) and ‘last-mile delivery’ (final delivery), while the railways will handle the delivery of parcels between stations. These partners may also provide packaging and other additional services.

Door-to-door parcel delivery service

The booking window for door-to-door parcel delivery will open 15 days before the scheduled departure of the train, a senior official said, ET reported. Customers can book the parcel up to one day before the departure of the train. Logistics partners can hand over parcels to railway staff one hour before train departure. The mobile app will act like a digital marketplace, connecting customers with preferred logistics service providers. Customers can book parcels online and make payments online. Along with this, they will not need to carry the parcel to the railway station or do the traditional paperwork.

On cancellation Rs. 10 charge

If the booking is canceled before the parcel is picked up, Railways will charge Rs. 10 will be deducted and the remaining railway fare will be refunded. Refunds for ‘First-Mile Pickup’ and ‘Last-Mile Delivery’ will be as per the policies of the respective logistics service provider. Information about these conditions will also be provided at the time of booking. Earlier this month, the Railway Board had announced a relaxation on ’round-trip’ bookings for parcel coaches in view of the Diwali-Christmas festive season. During this time, merchants gather their stock for the holidays. According to a circular, parcel aggregators can book a round-trip fare of 1.5 times the one-way fare. This new formula reduces the total freight cost by 25%. However, this discount will not be applicable on all railway parcel bookings.