Railways to now fine passengers if they flout this limit

The Western Railway has already implemented temporary restrictions on the sale of platform tickets at select major stations, effective till November 8.

Days after a stampede at the Bandra Terminus here, the Western Railway has announced that a penalty will be imposed if the luggage of passengers exceeds the permissible limit for their respective travel class and urged people not to overcrowd stations.

Each passenger is permitted to carry a certain amount of luggage without charge, but items such as scooters and bicycles, as well as consignments exceeding dimensions of 100 cm x 100 cm x 70 cm, do not qualify for the free allowance, the WR said in a release on Tuesday.

“The Western Railway urges all passengers to avoid overcrowding at stations and to enter premises only as necessary, in accordance with train schedules, while adhering to the established luggage limits,” the release stated. This step has been taken to reduce congestion on platforms and facilitate smoother movement for passengers within the station premises, it said.

The Western Railway has appealed to all passengers to follow the rules pertaining to carrying the maximum limit of free luggage. “The free allowance varies for different classes of travel. If the luggage exceeds the marginal free allowance, a penalty will be charged accordingly,” the release said, adding that the directive comes into effect immediately and will remain in force until November 8.

A significant rise has been witnessed in parcel bookings during the festive season, particularly at the parcel offices of the Bandra Terminus, Vapi, Valsad, Udhna, and Surat, it said. The WR noted that the volume of parcels stacked on platforms for loading onto trains causes inconvenience in passenger movement.

Considering the safety and security of passengers, instructions have been issued not to stack parcel consignments on platforms for a long duration before the scheduled departure of a train, the release said.

On Sunday, 10 persons were injured in a stampede during the heavy rush to board the Gorakhpur-bound Antyodaya Express train at the Bandra Terminus in Mumbai. The Western Railway has already implemented temporary restrictions on the sale of platform tickets at select major stations, effective until November 8.