How to book On-Demand Parcel Trains for Goods Transportation
On-demand parcel trains have emerged as a viable alternative to road cars, which have been completely shut down due to the devastation caused by the coronavirus. After the closure, these parcel trains have become a lifeline for online retailers like Amazon, Flipkart, Bigbasket etc. who can book these parcel trains to transport their goods. Speaking to ET newspaper, Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav said, “We have introduced package trains with fixed schedules for quick response to the shutdown situation. We are likely to continue running some of these trains even after normalcy returns.”
It all started with the spread of COVID-19, due to which the Indian Railways suspended passenger train operations and announced that freight trains would run normally, carrying essential goods for the survival of the public. On April 2, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal spoke to the top management and executives of the e-commerce giants and found that the shutdown has adversely affected their efficient supply chain system. E-commerce giants like Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket, Snapdeal, Grofers, Delhivery and others also faced problems related to logistics and limited manpower. These e-commerce companies, after receiving confirmation from Piyush Goyal about the solution to transport goods from parcel trains; sighed quietly. Railways have decided to launch on-demand parcel trains to facilitate e-commerce in inter-state freight. But the whole of India is waiting for the trains to hit the track and continue their journey as if they had not stopped.
How to transport goods by train?
Certain rules and regulations prescribed by the railways have to be followed to avail any service of Indian railways. Whether it is transporting goods by train or sending parcels through Indian Railways; there are rules behind everything. Transporting goods on Indian Railways is a cost-effective, safer and hassle-free procedure. The rules apply to the transport of ordinary goods, such as packing the goods themselves, filling in the data of the transport request form with information about the goods, their value, the region of the destination railway, etc.
Find and decide the railway zone where you want to send the package
Business giants must first determine the rail zone to which they must transport their goods. They need to identify the correct railway zones and stations where they need their goods packed. Once the identification is completed, the process is continued by contacting the Parcel Railway Officer of the zone concerned. A representative of the company concerned should contact the official and contact the departmental office.
Contact your regional sales representative
In addition to the parcel manager, each railway zone has a commercial department that deals with parcel and parcel transportation. Contact the head of the department and convey to him the desire to send packages.
Visit the station and enter the parcel claim
According to the train schedule, select the dates according to your availability and convenience. Visit the train station and contact the parcel office. To be present with packed goods on the day of transport. Railwaymen take care of loading the goods into the vans.
Fill in the shipping information
Mediation notification is a special form approved by the state office. There are four types of short notes:
- Shipping of dangerous goods;
- Courage certificate for animals or goods other than dangerous goods;
- Explosives clearance certificate issued by the Defense Forces,
- General Forwarding Note
According to section 64 of the Railway Law
Anyone who entrusts the transport of goods to the railway authority must prepare a certificate of shipment in the form prescribed by the state, in which the sender (e-shop company) is responsible for each arrival. in the statement made in the power of attorney.
Payment at the Parcel office
This is the last step where the shipper must pay the full payment to the parcel department of the train. The package transports the goods to the desired station. India today is facing the ill effects of the coronavirus, which led to the extension of the central and state governments till May 3. Indian Railways has decided not to operate passenger trains as it is the only means to control and stop the spread of the coronavirus. However, commercial services such as freight trains and on-demand package trains hit the tracks without a break.