Hello,
@Vardhan! Welcome to the forum!
1. What is the procedure for sending the bike from one place to another?
As mentioned, there are two ways for this, either transport the bike as parcel or transport it as luggage in the Indian Railways. The advantage of transferring your bike through the Indian Railways is that it is a lot cheaper than private courier companies. It's generally safe too as long as you abide by the given rules of the Indian Railways. In your case, since you're sending away your bike to your brother, you can choose the first way, which is through parcel booking. First, read through these rules:
Rules for Booking a Bike as Parcel in the Indian Railways
- Empty the fuel tank of your bike before having it packed. The authorities are quite strict about this rule and if they find out that you haven't emptied it, you would be charged a fee of Rs. 1,000.
- Make sure that the bike is properly packed before sending it away to the train. You can do it yourself or have it packed just outside the Parcel Booking Office. Cost varies but it's usually between Rs. 200 to Rs. 400 only.
- Do not fall for any booking agent, you don't need them at all and they would just add excess charges to your fees.
- Declare the real value of your bike as in case it gets lost, at least you're assured that the Indian Railways would replace it accordingly. Some suggest that you should not declare your bike as more than Rs. 10,000 in value so that you won't be charged an insurance fee. However, in case your bike gets lost, the amount that would be reimbursed to you would only be the amount you declared. So if your bike is priced higher than Rs. 10,000, then declare it in booking form.
- Reach the Parcel Booking Office during office hours only, which is from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. These are the only hours that they accept parcel booking and also the only hours that they offload delivered bikes to owners.
So now, we go to the real question at hand, how to book your bike as parcel in the Indian Railways? So I'll divide this into two parts, the requirements you need and the procedure you have to go through. Here we go:
Requirements for Booking a Bike as Parcel in the Indian Railways
- Original registration card of your bike with one photocopy
- Original insurance of your bike with one photocopy
- Your identity card (Aadhaar card, PAN card or Voter ID) with one photocopy
Procedures for Booking a Bike as Parcel in the Indian Railways
- First, have your bike packed correctly before proceeding with booking. Once done, obtain a parcel booking form and fill it up completely. Make sure that you include the chassis number and engine number of your bike, double check if it's correct.
- Submit the parcel booking form along with the other requirements. Once they check your form and requirements, pay the required fees and keep the receipt given to you.
- The authorities would then check your bike, making sure that it doesn't have fuel on the tank and that it's properly packed. If there is a queue, your bike would not be loaded immediately and left at the platform. If there is no queue, then it would be loaded while you're there.
- Before they load your bike, write down the receipt number in it so that you can easily identify it once delivered. Or in your case, your brother can easily identify it once it reaches its destination.
- Keep note of the time it requires before your bike can reach its destination. Since there are a lot of parcels in the Indian Railways, delivery can take as long as two days to one week. So if you need your bike to reach the destination at a quicker time, you need to talk to the management or find out other ways of sending it like using a private courier company.
After a few days, your bike would arrive at the destination station you have written down in the booking form. You would need to give your receipt to your brother though or have it sent to him via courier since that receipt is necessary for getting the bike. Make sure that he is carrying an extra bottle of fuel though so he can use the motorcycle immediately after it is loaded in the destination station. As far as the charges go, here they are:
Charges for Booking a Bike as Parcel in the Indian Railways
| Category | Charge |
| Packing | Rs. 200 to Rs. 400 |
| Weight of bike + distance | Case to case basis, check the Indian Railways website for accurate charges |
| Insurance | For up to Rs. 10,000 declaration, no charges are incurred but anything above that, there's a 1% extra charged for the declared value |
2. How safe is it sending the bike by train?
It is generally safe as long as you abide by the rules. And in the worst case scenario, if your bike gets lost or damaged, the Indian Railways would reimburse the fees to you that is why they do ask for the value of your bike in the booking form. As much as possible, declare the real value of your bike, even if it might mean having to pay the excess charges.
3. How long would it take for the bike to arrive at the desired destination, the normal time for train travel?
It really depends on the queue for that day. Parcel booking of bike usually means that your bike would be delivered in about two days or more.
I hope this helps you!
P.S.
Parcel booking is not done in the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station so choose any other stations but this one.
