Hyderabad Metro to charge for extra luggage
L&T official said that the total baggage limit would be up to 40 kg per passenger though the Union government has fixed it at 25 kg.
Hyderabad: Taking a cue from the Centre, the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) will charge `1 per kg beyond 15 kg of luggage. The HMRL’s decision to allow an additional 25 kg for a fee would add to the discomfort that patrons experience while travelling in jam-packed coaches.
This apart, officials said that scales would be provided at every Metro station, and the process which of weighing luggage would take about 10 minutes. An L&T official said that the total baggage limit would be up to 40 kg per passenger though the Union government has fixed it at 25 kg.
According to rules notified by the Union housing and urban affairs ministry on August 27, only one bag, weighing a maximum of up to 25 kg, is allowed per passenger. Baggage in the form of bundles would not be permitted on Metro Rail trains. The government has amended the Metro Railways (Carriage and Ticket) Rules, 2014 for the purpose.
“People travelling in a Metro Rail train cannot carry goods other than one baggage containing personal belongings not exceeding 25 kilograms in weight, and dimensions of 80 centimetres by 50 centimetres by 30 centimetres,” it says.
In contravention of Union norms, the HMRL has decided to allow 40 kg in extremely congested coaches, where 90 per cent of passengers travel without a seat, standing through entire stretch of their journeys.
A senior L&T official, on condition of anonymity, said that special weighing counters would be deployed in every station. This decision by the HMRL would not only create great discomfort to the commuters but also violate norms prescribed by the Union government.