The Railway Board has officially mandated strict limits on luggage and parcel overloading in trains to enhance passenger safety and standardize freight operations. Under the directive issued by Railway Board Joint Director Passenger Marketing Rohit Kumar, and confirmed by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, new regulations have been implemented across all regional railways, including the North Central Railway. Effective July 31, 2026, these rules restrict individual luggage bookings to a maximum of 20 percent of a coach’s total carrying capacity. Specifically, this limits bookings to 800 kilograms in standard 4-ton capacity coaches and 780 kilograms in LHB coaches which have a 3.9-ton capacity, with the remaining 80 percent of space reserved for commercial leases, regular parcels, and RMS mail.
Free luggage allowances vary by travel class. AC First Class permits 70 kilograms with an allowance up to 150 kilograms with charges, First Class and AC Two-Tier permit 50 kilograms up to 100 kilograms with charges, Sleeper Class allows 40 kilograms up to 80 kilograms with charges, and Second Class permits 35 kilograms up to 70 kilograms with charges. For AC Three-Tier, AC Chair Car, and AC Three-Tier Economy classes, the limit is strictly 40 kilograms, with no additional luggage permitted.
Penalty and Online Booking Rules
Penalty structures for exceeding these limits involve a charge of 1.5 times the standard luggage rate for booked excess, with a minimum charge of 30 rupees. Excess charges are calculated in 10-kilogram slabs for a minimum distance of 50 kilometers. Passengers traveling with unbooked excess luggage face heavy penalties of up to six times the standard rate. To facilitate these changes, the Railways has introduced an online booking facility via the official IRCTC website, mobile app, and the Parcel Management System portal. This digital service, developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems, is available to passengers with confirmed tickets, excluding those in AC 3-tier, AC Chair Car, and AC 3-tier Economy classes.