Indian Railways to extend Parcel Management Services to 523 locations

The Indian Railways (IR) new parcel management system (PMS) is adding a total of 523 locations in phases, from the present 84, to provide a "vast network of stations" for transportation of small consignments.

In a statement, IR said the transportation services are being used by small businesses and traders to move merchandise from production centres and bigger cities to place of business in a "fast, reliable and cheap manner.

As per the statement, Phase II will take total locations to 143 and by Phase III, the computerised PMS will have 523 locations.

"This will bring enhancements such as provision for 120 days advance booking, showing the availability of parcel space on the online e-forwarding note module on the PMS website, and generation of forwarding note online by registered customers with a fare estimate," it added.

Other services to be added include a barcode on each consignment for tracking, SMS updates to customers at every stage, the transmission of data through GPRS and provision of computerised counters and electronic weighing at station parcel offices for booking of parcels and luggage.

The new PMS will also have a Freight System Ledger Accounting (FSLA) module which will allow registered newspapers and magazines to prepare manifests online. The PMS charges for parcels on basis of weight and volume, not the type of commodity.