For all die-hard bikers, the million-dollar question that comes is “How can I carry my bike in train to Leh Ladakh or other parts of Himalayas?” Well, here is Nabeel S, who is going to share his own experience in this Guest Post today on how to carry your own bike to Leh Ladakh in the train.
Nabeel was with me on DoW’s Ladakh Mega Meet and I MUST say that he is one of the finest and courageous bike riders I have ever traveled with. He had that unmatched grit and determination to move along with our neck to neck on the toughest and most treacherous roads in the world I shall say !! AFAIK, he is the only biker to do the Kyon Tso 1 – Kyon Tso 2 – Thit Zorbit La – Nidar route in Changthang region of Ladakh along with us at the time of writing this article.
But, we were in cars, and he was on his bike, which made his effort stand apart. Guess, enough of off-the-topic from me, so, let’s quickly go and learn about his experience on transporting the bike in train for a Leh Ladakh bike ride…
Riding motorcycle is a passion for those who have the guts and the toughest of mind. Especially when it comes to a bike ride to Ladakh and Zanskar Valley or other parts of Trans Himalayas like Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley or Pangi Valley, etc.. where “road” is just an irrelevant term. You need to have a good healthy body and mind with a positive attitude.
Carrying your own bike in a train to Leh Ladakh gives you additional comfort and makes you feel an almost similar riding experience the way you have at home; confident and problem-free.
Enough has been emphasized in the article on How to Hire or Rent a Bike or Motorcycle in Manali that there is nothing better than to carry your own bike at desolated places such as Ladakh, Manali Leh Highway, Spiti Valley, etc..
It gives you better control, the flexibility of schedule, and the thing is that you and your bike understand each other as friends. You can get the best in the toughest roads and situations on your bike as compared to the rented bikes.
It also costs you less than the rented ones in a long journey and gives you the freedom to ride around as you wish without any penalty or tension of not returning the rented bike on the promised date.
I am also one of those people who are passionate about the long bike rides. I did a Ladakh bike ride on my own Pulsar 220, which I carried from home in the train, as I from the capital city of God’s own country, Kerala.
In this article, I will share my experience on how I carried my bike in the train to Ladakh from Kerala hoping it will be helpful for all my other biker friends as well who are looking out to such information for transporting the bike in a train to Ladakh.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Carrying Bike in Train to Ladakh from Kerala
Over my journey to Ladakh, I carried my bike in train to Jammu Tawi and then hit the roads for 3000+ KMs for the next 13 days. I went all the way from Jammu – Srinagar – Leh – Ladakh – Manali – Delhi and finally carried my bike back home in Kerala from Delhi in Train only.
Some things I had experienced or faced and then analyzed during my short travel to Ladakh. Before I traveled, I did search a lot on the web regarding carrying bikes in train to Ladakh the, but it was too difficult to get an informative write-up and hence, I thought to share my experience hoping it will be useful to all.
There are two ways to carry motorcycles or bikes in a train in India:
- Carry it as luggage along with the traveler or passenger (as I did) OR,
- Parceling from one place to another
Here, I will mainly discuss the first option as I carried the bike on the train as a luggage of mine because it’s much more effective than sending the bike as a parcel on the train.
Documents Required when Carrying Bikes to Ladakh in Train
Following things should be kept in mind before you venture out on your Leh Ladakh trip by carrying the bike in train:
- Make sure all documents are properly maintained with no ambiguity. Keep them in a safe place where they do not get lost.
- Make 4-5 copies and get them attested. They can be used in case you lose the originals or any need.
- Keep the Original Driving License and other bikes document like R/C, PUC (Pollution Under Control Certificate), Insurance Copy, etc..
- Train Tickets and a couple of copies of it
It is always best to carry your bike only rather than some friend or relatives bike. The documents should be in the same name (R/C of the bike, driving license, and train tickets, etc..) because as you travel, then in some cities, it might cause unnecessary problems.
Even if you produce the original documents, as I faced the issue in Delhi, it might cost you something here and there (you might understand what I mean ;)). I used my cousin’s bike and did not have any problem at Thirunelveli station even not at Jammu Tawi and Trivandrum but got a shocker in Delhi 🙁 not sure if there were any local laws there but…
So, it’s better that there is no margin of error and you have your bike under your name with all other documents, if possible. Otherwise, be ready to face some hassles or delays here and there, though nothing major.
Procedure to Carry Your Bike in Train to Ladakh
Now let’s talk about the complete process. First, let’s talk about what will happen at the source station.
Do not forget to check my article on how to plan a cycling trip from Manali to Leh.
- You need to reach the railway station at least 3-4 hours before the departure of your train and once you reach there then go to the parcel office at the railway station.
- Tell them your requirements and they will instruct you to remove petrol and get the machine packed properly. Make sure you dry out complete fuel.
- Find any loading staff or porters there and ask them about the packing, usually, the porters do this and they will guide you.
- Finalize the cost of packing before it gets packed. I paid Rs 300 at Thirunelveli and Rs 400 at Delhi; it will be around max Rs 300 in all stations.
- They will also help you make sure that your fuel tank is completely dry which is very much needed else you may end up in hassles here and there while taking out the bike.
- Ask the packing guys to provide enough cushions and padding to pack it well. Don’t prefer loose packing as you know if any parts get broke; then, it can ruin your entire trip or cost you even more. Hence, even if they charge little more for packing, give them but get it very well packed.
- As suggested by Gaurav in the below comments for safety, better ask any of your friends on the destination to carry petrol/fuel to the station OR get it yourself after reaching the station. Respect the safety of the whole train and do not indulge in practices of hiding fuel anywhere, which can jeopardize the safety of the whole train. Make sure that you know the nearest Petrol Pump at the destination so that you can tank up immediately after reaching there.
- Then take the packaged bike to the officer there, and they will ask you to fill out the form. There may be some sample forms glued to the wall which will guide you fill the form.
- I filled Rs 30000 as the cost of the bike because it costs you Rs 100 for every Rs 10000 as insurance. So, based on your bike & its condition take a calculative risk.
- Hand over the filled form along with the copies of all the documents of your bike which they will verify and will tell you the cost to pay.
- As per my experience cost takes you Re 1 per KM and insurance extra. I paid Rs 3500 from Delhi to Trivandrum for 3100 KMs.
- Now it’s almost done. Keep the receipt they will hand over in a safe place because it will be required at the destination station.
- Finally, make sure that your bike gets loaded in the same train and not any other one. Otherwise, you should have to complain to the guard at the train whose compartment is near the brake van.
- You are paying extra for carrying it as luggage along with you. So, this luggage has the highest priority and must go with you on the same train.
Enjoy the train ride until you reach your destination. Now the process at the destination station is quite simple.
- Get off the train and go to the parcel office at the destination station. Tell them about the delivery of your bike by showing them the documents and the original receipt which you got from the source station.
- It will take around 1 Hr for the whole process to complete including getting your bike from train to the parcel office, showing them your documents and delivery notes, etc..
- Once you get the bike delivered, drag it outside station first and drag it to the nearest station for tank up.
- Finally, RIDE TO LADAKH 🙂 :)…
Some More Tips to Load bike in Delhi Railway Station
I am also going to add some more tips on carrying my bike in the train to Ladakh, shared by a DwD Community member Charles. Below are the compiled list of tips Charles shared in the DwD Community forums link:
- New Delhi parcel office is open 24 hours all 7 days in a week.
- The luggage facility is available on every train including Rajdhani.
- The booking of the bike will be made on the same day of traveling with confirmed tickets only whether they are booked online or on the counter at the train station.
- If you are traveling in Rajdhani then it is assured that they will send bikes on the same train, but if you are in any other train, then it depends upon the availability in the luggage compartment.
- You have to reach at least 3 to 4 hours in advance before train departure time.
- Packing guys will take Rs 150 to 200, and as I spoke to them if you pay them some extra tip they will try to load your bike in the same train.
- I spoke to the officer also and he was nice to provide information. He said that for Jammu, normally they get less consignment so they will load my bike in the same train, but if there is any army consignment which they need to deliver, then it will wait for at least 4 to 6 days. They have to send army stuff on priority. (this is for non-Rajdhani trains for Jammu route)
- I asked abt the charges, so he said normally it’s around Rs 900 plus 1% of the total value in insurance plus your packing and tip to the loading guy extra.
- It is very important that the ticket and RC of your bike should be on the same name along with insurance and pollution certificates too. And if u don’t have the bike on your name then get all id proof of your and the person who is the owner of the bike else you will end up in trouble.
- There is no contact number for them, and you have to go there in person for the bookings. On New Delhi railway station it is located on platform number 16 which is close to the Ajmeri gate side entrance.
- Finally what I understand after talking to them is that, if you have confirmed tickets in any train then even if they say there is no space in luggage talk to them nicely, they will be able to help you get your bike boarded on the same train.
Do not forget to check my article on how to rent bike in Leh – Ladakh and ride with pillion.
Conclusion
This was my overall experience for transporting my bike in train to Ladakh, and I hope it proves useful to you as well on your upcoming bike ride to Leh Ladakh.
Have a travel question?? You can follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel to ask your travel questions in a direct message on Instagram or comment on my YouTube videos.
Feel free to post any suggestions or improvements or anything I missed in this article. I will also be happy to answer your questions in the comments section below of this article.
In the end, in case you find this article useful, then do not forget to share with your friends or family members who are planning their upcoming trip to Leh Ladakh.
Have a Great Ride to Ladakh!!
108 Comments
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Hi,
I and my wife are planning to go on Ladakh trip on Aug 15-26. We have a RE 350 and wish to make the trip with it. We have limited number of days as mentioned and would not be able to send bike as luggage and travel in same train.I have heard many reports of bikes getting damaged while parceling and spoiling the whole trip. Hence we are confused about parceling the bike to Chandigarh via train and us traveling via flight. For this reason alone we are planning to rent a bike.
Could you please tell us how safe it is for us to parcel the bike because we truly wan to make our journey in our bike.
Also could you please provide us an itinerary for 12 days. We could like to make our journey as Ambala/Srinagar – Leh – Manali
Remiz, in case you are not confident on the parceling of the bike you can also opt for services provided by GATI/SafeExpress as well.
Hi,
Do we have the facility to parcel our bike to Manali in train from Bangalore?
Not to Manali, but you can do to Pathankot OR Jammu or Chandigarh or Ambala and then ride from there
hi dheeraj, we are 17 friends travelling on 12 royal enfield. we are travelling for 1st time on this route on bike. so can u please guide us with some 2 wheeler guides and mechanic with backup van which can come with us from leh to nubra valley to pangong to manali.
Vishal, may be you can get in touch with info@offbeatescapes.com who provides back vehicles for Ladakh bike trip along with mechanics.
HI,
I plan to reach Jammu on 19th June 2017 by flight and parallelly parcel the machine in jammu Tawi express from Ernakulam station on 16th. june. How the condition in Sringar now, is there anything hurt our smooth riding there?
Secondly Should I carry Police NOC for the riding bike?
People will start traveling soon on the Srinagar – Leh route, please stay tuned on Srinagar – Leh status thread where we will keep on publishing the updates. Also, please keep a tab on the news.
Hi.. I have been trying to find info on bike travel by train.
The info may be same as all have mentioned only some add-ons
If you are carrying bike from mumbai, you need to get No-Octroi required stamp / NOC / Written ( Not sure what) from octroi people who are there at most prominent stations. This is required so as to declare that this same bike will be coming back in Mumbai and is not taken for sale once you cross maharashtra. There wont be any issue to take bike out of mumbai, only issue while entering maharashtra where octroi exists. Got this info from a friend who actually suggested to record this entire activity of NO octroi reqd as the railways are known to hassle bringing luggage back to mumbai. Will be doing this procedure soon. Will update correct info when i get my procedure done.
Thank you Abhijit, it will be helpful in such a case to others.
Hey guys… Very well written and good information although one issue i would really like addressed is what was the Exact Total cost of transporting your bike from Tirunelveli to Jammu and can you also provide the break up of the cost please ? Thanks in advance
Sorry Jude, Nabeel is no longer active here and I am unsure on how much it costed him to transport his bike.
Hello,
First of all Thank you for the info man. Greatly helpful and informative.
Secondly, I am planning to Visit Leh-Ladakh on my Bike during Aug this year. I am basically from Hyderabad and am planning to get my bike to either Jammu or Chandigarh by train and begin my trip from there. Here, I am confused with choosing the best route as this is the first time I am going on this trip. Should I choose this route Chandigarh–>Manali–>Leh–>Srinagar–>Jammu or should I choose the other way round? . Please advise me in this regard as to a first timer. Thanks in advance
Firstly, I will suggest you that please plan it in other direction as going via Srinagar – Leh Highway will be much much easier on your body and help you acclimatize to the high altitude of Manali – Leh Highway. Also, it allows you to enjoy the beauty of Manali – Leh by splitting the journey almost evenly in two days which is very difficult in the other direction. Thirdly, it will allow you to fit Tso Moriri lake into the itinerary in better way. You can read more reasons on the link here
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
Thank you so much for your response and the detailed info. The itinerary is very helpful and thank you for including the accommodation options as well. Appreciate your help. Cheers bro.
Cheers, feel free to post any questions you may have for your trip further.
Hi Nabeel,
I am carrying my bike from Hyderabad to Chandigarh, From there I will be riding it. So do I need to take any permission sort of thing from the RTO office or I have to pay some money at check posts?
Also any special permit or permission needs to be taken from J&K RTO office?
Please reply to this….
Ankit, you can just tell them you are tourists and keep the booking of train with you that you parcel the bike for this trip. No extra permission is required from RTO office to ride your own perosnal bike as a tourist.
Hi Ankit,
Please let me know if you have completed the trip ? I am also planning to ship my bike to Delhi / Chandigarh. But I heard from train parcel service that we can ship only to Delhi. Let me know how you shipped your bike to Chandigarh ?
Great info dude……..
Hai, Mr Nabeel, It is really great of sharing your experience to help others. Now, my doubt is not about transporting our own vehicle, but, I heard that the local transport agents/Drivers/Taxi Owners/Motorcycle on rent agents etc., will not permit the vehicles with other state Registrations to ply on the roads of Leh. It seems even if it is a registration of Kashmir or Jammu (Of course may be for only Taxis and not personal cars and Bikes-I didn’t pick up correctly on this).
Second, what the RTA act says about a vehicle of other state plying in another state. Does it require any clearance/certificate/permit etc., from RTA department of parent state or from each state through which the vehicles passes through. If so, the place,web etc details and the procedure please.
Thanks/Regards and sorry for the trouble given in this regard.
Ravi Kumar Kotti
Hi That was nizz to hear your experience, even im planning to take my bike from kerala itself so this experience was much useful for me,
Only a small doubt the bike which im going to carry is in my fathers name, do what all documents do i need to carry with me so that there will be no issues, n if any other suggestion required please feel free to give, because going to leh ladak need a lot of advice that too frm experience people
Maneesh, any document like License, Passport that shows the same name as your father and name of the RC of the vehicle.
Dear Nabeel,
I am planning on taking my friend’s bike to Leh in September second week from Mumbai. I plan on Delhi-Jammu-Srinagar-Leh-Manali-Delhi for 15 days based on the suggestions on this website.
Please tell if the same is fine. Also, as i am carrying my friend’s bike( Pulsar 150cc), what can i carry( NOC, SPA etc) so that i can parcel the bike to Delhi/Jammu from Mumbai and also don’t face problems in Leh ?
Thanks in advance
Shivananda, there is clear cut guideline by Leh guys that bike should be under name of yours or father or family which can be proven with some document. I doubt in case NOC would do favour to you.
Hi dheeraj,
My bike is on my moms name. On government id cards like pan card adhar card moms name is not included. However on passport moms name is included. So what do i need to carry? Do i need to carry original passport along with bike rc book, puc, insurance and my licence? Passports photocopy will do? Or attested ? Since carrying passport on such adventure trip scares me.
Kindly help.
Thanks in advance.
You can carry the Passport bhai, copy of it will do. Rest all original will be required. Make it attested to make no room for anything
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning to use the “parcel” provision of Indian Rail to transport my motorcycle from Pune to Jammu Tawi. To be on a safer side, I will be sending it 1 or 2 days before my planned arrival in Jammu Tawi.
If the bike reaches Tawi before me, will it be safe in the station’s warehouse?
I don’t want to go with the “luggage” option as I have heard that too much bribing is involved there.
I will be starting my ride on 4th September. Looking forward for your response on this.
Thanks,
Amar
Amar, should be OK I feel though I have never used this service. You should also check with Safe Express too for whom a DoW Member posted a good review to transport the bike all the way to Srinagar. That will help you alot. I will too be there in Ladakh Zanskar from 4th Sept to 14th Sept, lets catch up on highway 🙂
Sure thing sir. Could you please inbox me your number at 9764845961
Thanks,
Amar
Dear folks,
I bought my friends bike some time ago, but have not transferred it on my name. I have the original RC, but it is on his name. I just have a week’s time left for the trip and surely will not be able to get it transferred in such a short period. Will I face any problem if the bike is not on my name? Also will an agreement signed on stamp by my friend to give me the ownership of bike will be ok.?
Please reply asap.
Thanks and regards.
Aadil, best is that you get an NOC prepared for it including that agreement.
Thanks dheeraj for prompt reply.
I’ll try to get the NOC from rto.
Hi Aadil,
What documents did you take with you? I’m planning to take my friend’s bike this time. Can you please tell me your experience ?
Thanks in Advance,
Shiva
Hi,
We are visiting ladakh around 16th of August. We are planning to carry our bikes to manali and start our journey from there.
We want to travel right from Manali->Leh->Srinagar by our bikes, but not able to find how can we can send back our bikes from Srinagar to bangalore. Could you please suggest some way to return our bikes from ssrinagar or any other nearby place to banglore.
Thanks.
Raj, get in touch with GATI, they provide the service of Srinagar.
Hello Dheeraj/Nabeel,
We are going Ladakh Bike trip from Bangalore on 26-Jun-2015. We will be sending bike through train as parcel and we ll go by flight to Chandigardh. We are planning to send bike on 20-Jun-2015 train from Bangalore. The train we ll reach Chandigarh probably on 22-Jun-2015 evening.
Questions:
1. Once they unload the bikes from train where they keep bikes? Are they keep the bikes on platform itself?
2. If they keep in platform or some other places, how much its safe to keep the bike for 3.5 days in such places? Please consider that no one want their bike to be damaged by some miscreants.
3. Does railway charge any extra money for keeping bike for 3.5 days?
4. Chandigarh, being the best Indian city, how much safe its Railway station?
Thanks in advance. And also many thanks for your other great articles in DOW, those are great help for preparing our trip.
Hi Saikat,
Per my experience with New Delhi/ Hazrat Nizamudin stations, they keep the bikes in enclosed place. It is safe and they know that they are responsible for our goods until we sign delivery receipt.
Generally damages happen during loading/ unloading and if you have time, better watch out until they load our bikes and be available during unload.
And Yes they do charge some amount based on how long your bike is residing in their place and it is not very costly. Railways don’t charge immediately after first few hours (not sure 6-10 hours) of unloading your bike.
Important thing with YPR Bangalore station is, you will have to pay lot of bribe at YPR (Yeswantpur) station and they do directly ask for it. Packing is costly and security guy who allows inside billing area ask bribe. Load man asks bribe based on your bike and number of bikes. So better be early and spend some time on negotiation.
Empty your tank when you give bike for packing. Apart from packing charge, packing guy asks for petrol as well.
All the very best and have safe trip.
Hi Mohan,
Thanks a lot for ur valuable info. I am going this saturday for Initial negotiation . But can I book the bike in advance and then load on a particular day.
For example, I go on 6-Jun-2015 and show my bike and papers then pay the required amount and book for 17-Jun-2015. Then I come on 17-Jun-2015 and then load the bike on train. Is this possible in YPR?
Hi Saikat,
I don’t think that is possible. They accept money only bike packing is done and verified.
Thank you for the reply Mohan
Thanks Mohan for the info.
Hi Saikat,
Did you enquired about shipping your bike in YPR Railway station? My trip starts from June 25th by train to Chandigarh, so I will be going today to know the procedures and share it here.
If you have already done, please feel free to share your investigation stories. Hope we meet in LEH 🙂
Hey Chiranjeevi,
Did you manage to ship your bike ? How did it go ?
Hi Saikat,
How much did it charge to ship the bike from Bangalore to Chandigarh via train?
Great information. Definitely I’m gonna follow everything you mentioned herein
Can I transport my cousins bike bangalore to gowahati with me,
what kind of documents need for it. answer me please
Shanta, not sure, may be you will need an NOC for it.
Hey Dheeraj,
Yes, you need to have an notarized NOC or SPA (Special power of attorney) signed by the registered owner of the bike!
Hi Khomendra,
The notarized NOC or SPA is just a Stamp(Bond) paper signed by the Owner of the bike or do we need to get it done through a RTO (Regional Transport Office) ?
Thanks in Advance
this is one amazing forum, i just got almost all the informations i needed. keep up the work admins.
i need some more informations plz, i m planning my trip from newdelhi – amritsar – jammu – srinagar – kargil – leh – khardungla – rohtangpass – manali – shimla – delhi.
15-18 days….
plz help me with a proper itinerary to enjoy places within 15-18days
1- i m looking for an average stay and which all places should i find a hotel to stay.
2- were all should i concentrate more days ??
3- we are a group of 4-6 enfield, and its our first trip. so in case of any mechanical or electrical failure for bikes is there enough workshops at intervals to solve our issues.
4- we are planning to go by august first week, so is it a proper time for snowfalls.
thanks in advance…….
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
You can add couple of days for Amritsar in between Jammu and Delhi and then couple of days for Shimla to make it around 18 days.
3. There will not be any mechanics available on most routes in the distance of about 100 KMs almost, so any help will be on an average 100 KM away or may be more. Mostly major towns that fall on route will have such shops. Be familiar with basic stuff and puncture repair.
Thanx bro….. We are planning to go by aug first week. Is it the proper time for riding bikes, sight seeing and snow??
There won’t be much snow up there during those days in August, only remains of snow at some places. You will get some slush in lower hills at Rohtang Pass and Zojila Pass as it rains during that time which creates slush there. So, you guys might need to push each other bikes. Carry spare clutch plates as they mostly get burnt during the season of slush.
So wen wud u advicd to go for snowfall
Nithin, mid June to end June there will be plenty of snow up there 🙂
Hello, Great information posted, I want to know if there are any tour plans during sep 27 to OCt 10. Please suggest.
Regards,
Arun
Arun, DoW is an information sourcing Travel Portal and we do not have any tours. Once in a year, members of DoW or readers of DoW meet on Mega Meet and travel together to execute DoW Causes. This year we are having Mega Meet from 12th Sept to 21st Sept.
Sir I want to start my bike trip from shimla-tabu-kaja-Chandra tall-sisu-keylong-toso moriri-pang gong toso-leh-kargil-srinagar-jammu. On a 150cc bike for 2 person.. How many days will it take?
Should we need any permission from government??
Will all the road be clear in may-June??
Distance between petrol pumps??
Road condition??
What must to carry??
It will take about 20-25 days from delhi if you are trying to ease out and include most of the places from Shimla to Srinagar covering Ladakh and Spiti too. June end should be good time or July else road from Manali will not be open.
Hi Amitabh,
Did you completed your journey. How was it. we are also plannning to go from manalii-leh-srinagar. Your feedback will be very valueble to us. Please share it. Could you please tell about bike trasfer from srinagar to delhi.
Dear Dhiraj ji
One part of our Ladakh Tour is from Leh to Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri to Manali via Leh-Manali Highway by our own bike. So the big problem is to carry extra petrol as the next petrol pump is in Tandi. How do we solve it ? What are the safty measures to carry extra fuel ? Pls. inform me in detail.Regards & thanks.
You cannot solve it brother apart from carrying extra fuel which will be plenty on this route and then reply on black fuel available in small villages on these routes.
Hello Dheeraj sir and Nabeel
i am copying my post here bcs. I thought it will be helpful for others
I paid a visit to new delhi railway station’s parcel office to get the info regarding carrying bike in train . Here i things which i find out……
1. New delhi parcel office is open 24 hours all 7 days in week.
2. Luagge facility is avilable in every train including rajdhani.
3: booking of bike will be done on the same day of travelling with confirmed tickets only wheather they are booked online or on counter at station.
4. If u r travelling in rajshani then it is assured that they will send bike in the same train but if u r in any other train then it depends upon the avilability in the luggage compartment.
5. You have to reach atleast 3 to 4 hours in advance before train departure time.
6. Packing guys will take 150 to 200(at first they were asking 400 so u hv to bargain) and as i spoke to them if u pay them some extra tip they will also help u toload ur bike in same train as he said they have setting.
7. I spoke to officer also and he was nice and he said for jammu normally they get less consignment so they will load my bike in same train but if there is any army consignment which they need to deliver then it will waiting for atleast 4 to 6 days bcs. They hv to send army stuff on priority ( this is for non rajdhani trains for jammu route)
8. I asked abt the charges so he said normally its around 900(delhi to jammu ) plus one % of the total value in insurance plus your packing and tip to the loading guy extra……..
9. Its very important that ticket and rc of your bike should be on same name and insurance and pollution too. And if u dont hv bike on your name then get all id prrof of your and the person who is the owner
10 there is no contact no for them u hv go there physically and on new delhi station its on platform no 16 close from ajmeri gate side.
Finally what i understand after talking to them that if u hv confirm tickets in any train even if they say there is no space in luagge just talk to them nicely and if u will give them some tip u r good to go……….
So happy journey ro everyone……..
Thanks and regards
Charles
Thank you Charles. I have already linked these valuable tips from you to your post from DwD Community in the article under section “More Important Tips”
hello Dheeraj sir and Nabeel sir,
i am frm delhi
does all the trains have this facility where we can carry our bikes with us?
Also parcel office open in day timing frm mon to sat. Then how to take bike as luggage if train departs in night or on sunday.??
Someone said that parcel office wont accept e-tickets so do we hv to buy tickets from the counter at the station .??
Is there any no. For parcel office in delhi bcs. Railway no. 139 dont give any info abt. This??
Pls reply ASAP as i am planning to go jammu via train along with my bike and frm there ladakh on my bike with my frnd we hv pulsar 180.
thanks and regards
AFAIK, all trains allow for luggage. Rest Nabeel can answer.
all express and super fast express trains have the luggage facility,
the parcel office is working from 8 to 8 at New Delhi station you should have to reach before the closing time atleat b4 7pm .if its a holiday you should ahve to book the previous day,dont worry it will be uploaded on the train
as you are from Delhi..i suggest to ride from delhi to jammu its only 550 kms and roads are good also…good luck 4 the ride enjoy
Hey guys, great job an great compilation. Honestly, first i was thinking of availing one of those holiday packages from those travel websites. But, i never thought that someone would take all the time and care to post such valuable information for helping others….Great going…
Now i just have a simple but starting trouble query….I am living in Delhi and i am planning for this trip in mid junes 2014…I just want to know which is a better option
1. Driving from New Delhi to Leh-ladakh. Or
2. shipping to the farthest distance (Jammu) by train and then Driving.
Please mention the pros and cons of both the options..
Also, i tried in google maps for delhi-leh by road…but i couldnt get the route that is being discussed in all the related articles…If it is possible, please just list the points from delhi to leh and the major arterial roads for this trip….
Thanks in advance man…great
Hi Shankar,
Just that you have dropped the idea of taking a travel package, it serves the purpose of the success of this small blog, DoW.
Both options are viable and doable. based on the comfort you can drive to Jammu and carry on the trip or can take the bike to Jammu. All depends upon the comfort level you have with riding v/s the tedious process of parceling bike or taking it as luggage with you.
To get an idea of the routes in Ladakh along with distances, you can refer: DoW – Maps of Ladakh | Nubra Valley & Changthang. Keep in mind that, the remote routes are isolated and completely off track with almost no roads. Better stick to traditional routes in case it is the first trip to Ladakh.
To get an idea of the route map of Srinagar – Leh Highway, you can refer: DoW – Maps of Ladakh | Srinagar – Kargil – Leh
Regards
Dheeraj
hi shankar bro
If you love riding the most its only a 550 kms ride from delhi to jammu,i think regarding the cost of riding and carrying it will cost you the same,its simply a days ride ,if i am i will ride through asfaik the roads are best till jammu….from jammu you will enjoy the ride 4 sure…
sorry for the belated replay
The railways are responsible for the luggage,once its uploaded the guard in the train take care of the luggage’s.when the train stops in the intermediate stations,weather we have to unload our machine,just go to the guard and tell about the luggage unloading and show the receipt,he will check it and do the rest
Neebel, That’s great information…Thanks.
Let me share the experience of parcelling my bullet as luggage through train.
At loading station, everything happened as you mentioned in article. But at unloading station the train stoppage was for only 02 minutes & the parcel man refuses to unload [Even after producing ticket/Parcel receipt]. Meanwhile train departed.Some how I convinced the parcel office man regarding the problem that my bike is now carried away with train. He had assure me that he will do SOMETHING?? After 12 Hrs I received a call from parcel office to receive my bike. They retrieved my bullet from train after 3 station passes & sended back through another train.
Friends, I know that railway is sole responsible but, If this kind of problem happens. It may spoil your trip.
Pls share if any fool proofing.
Thank you for sharing your experience, this will help other fellow bikers alot.
kaushal bro
i was extremely sad regarding your terrible experience,i know how it will affect the ride,the railways are sole responsible for that,we cant do much,thanx for sharing your experience….i hope you continued your ride….dont feel much on that because travel is an experience than every thing,it may be good or bad….as i allwasy keep in mind that prepare for the worst and hope for the best…
can you also please let me know if i start july first week from amritsar via srinagar and kargil to leh and return via manali to delhi is there any chance that i will encounter roads between snow clad mountain in any part of the road at that time
Ronaldo, we are already discussing the same under DwD Community at the link: Help me plan my Ladakh trip
what about the destination parcel office is it open for 24 hours. I am planning to shift my bike from mumbai to amritsar. what if i reach at around midnight??
hi ronaldo
the parcel office will be working in day time from 8am to 8pm,u will be delivered or can upload in this time ,even the train arrive at night though ,the railway staff will keep it at the parcel office and deliver in next working hours
riding on the himalayas is the most adventure things and every bike junkies dream… so we have to be careful abt the machine we choose…
bullets are problem free no hassles .. i wouldnt prefer yamaha fz.. i had nightmares in the himalayas… the bike doesn move literally.. it doesn start… so if anyone has plans with fz pls drop it…
prabhakaran, I will agree with you here in totality. It does help to have a high powered bike but I know many people who have done it over Dicover, CBZs, FZs, etc.. definitely they are under powered but also easy to push through.
Hi nabeel thanks for the info.I am planning to take my bike to Jammu from Coimbatore(being the originating station).What is your advice on this?Any precaution to be taken.The bike is on my brother’s name.Should I get a authorisation letter or can manage?
hi balaji bro
sorry for the belated replay
its very easy to carry from the south stations rather than the metro cities ….
as the documents are in the name of your bro…please make a sale letter in a stamp paper to avoid mess around it will only cost you a 100 rs
as far jammu station the officers are very good and co coperative…you just carry all the original documents along with 2 or more copies also..nothing to worry …have a nice ride…
@ balaji,when you planning your trip?? i am also planning the same trip via jammu this year…i am from trichur kerala
Well compiled information, would be useful to a lot of people. Thanks!
Thank you so much Santosh 🙂
Thanx bro..
parcel agent is requird or not?
Becz without agent cost is 2500 mumbai to jammu.. And with agent 4000.
Without agent any problm to parcl the bike in same train..?
Sorry bro for the belated replay as i was on a trek….
Agent is not required,if the bike is in the name of the traveller,you just pack it properly with help of some porters and fill the forms…just make sure during the travel the machine is get uploaded..the agents are robbers like guys…..if the documents are proper do it your own..no probs..only little strain…but worth 1500bucks
This is an amazing piece of information for the die-hard bikers. Would be forwarding the info to my nephews. Thanks for the share.
Thank you so much, feel free to pass on and share any queries you have for their Ladakh trip 🙂
thanx..share to all let evry1 ride
Hi nabeel . Awesome info . Really cant find it anywhere . But just wanted to know that can we make this trip on Honda dio . . Double sit with minimum luggage or we should prefer 1 person 1 bike. .? And what things we should carry for safety measure. .
hi ayaz bhai
ya you can made it on ur dio,i had seen two guyz at zozilla pass as they were using there bajaj chetak,but they are pushing it on the curves and steeps….as you can do it as single in dio…as i suggest…in the high altitudes the performance of the machines became lower due to low air suction…even Benjamin…who rode along with me faced the problem even with his bullet electra on the route,
its not only about the machine its about us also….just think as we can….then its a simple task….as new dio comes with tubeless tyres dont tense for punctures ,,we can easily fix it….ourselves,…just carry repair punture kit which is very compact,carry additional spark plugs…and enough fuel also….and engine oil…check the oil every day b4 u start the ride…best of luck have a wounderful journey
Hi,
This is very much useful information to many riders who have the desire to ride through himalayas in their own bike. But one more valid info is missing.
You can parcel your bike from any part of india to delhi. But you cant parcel your bike from delhi to other states. You have to take the bike as a luggage. So there is no option of parcelling your bike from delhi. I faced this problem last year.
I think Nabeel dint face this because he took the bike as luggage from delhi.
hi anand bhai…
every parcel is considered as luggage,as far as i know.regarding delhi…i had faced my worse there….i had to make fake documents,had to hustle with the officers for on thing or the other and there are agents for doing this,,, they will parcel any thing ,(even parcel us too)..the parcelling can only be done through the agents,,guess they have a tie up with them as I felt and I may be worng though..and they charged me 6500..instead of 3500 courier charge, I believe….and i suffered a lot there
Hi Nabeel,
Problem with stations around delhi is we need to have valid train travelling ticket before we go to parceling counter, even if you want to parcel not as luggage. I heard from one of the biker that lot of theft bikes were sent as luggage by train and Delhi railways made this rule to avoid such situations.
If you don’t have valid train ticket, I don’t know how it works for agents but somehow they do it for lump sum of bigger price.
This is great information…also Kerala to Laddakh, train + biking, hats off man..you are one awesome biker..
thanks bro
Thats not justified, you are putting safety of whole train at risk..by such a naive decision.
Gaurav, very valid point. Just updated it as “As suggested by Gaurav in below comments with respect to safety, better ask any of your friend on the destination to carry petrol/fuel to the station OR get it yourself after reaching the station. Respect the safety of whole train and do not indulge into practices of hiding fuel anywhere which can jeopardize the safety of whole train.”
Thanks for raising and pointing it 🙂
Being a safety matter, Better get it edited above, instead of showing in comments.
Lets not misguide. Thanks for accepting it.:)
Done !! 🙂 🙂
What you are saying is true for individual riders. But if one is traveling in a group, train as an option is no go. There is no guarantee that all will have space on the train. You don’t want to leave a brother behind. In that case, ship the bikes via a vehicle container. These can however only go up metros. So delhi would be the nearest.
hi vineet
its for max of 3 or 5….if you are in more nos..you can drive all the way …it will be a great experience for you..and the thing is that it will be costlier also compared to rail…an you cant get the facilites at all places.this facility is avilable..where ever the train stops for 5 mins and more..but i prefer from junctions
Let’s say my bike is damaged when I get down at Jammu Station. What should I do then? As you said I have paid for the insurance, what the is next step or the first person I should get in touch with?
Regards
TG
hi tarun
its a long process regarding the insurance,its mainly made for theft of machines…and for minor damages we cant get any claims…for every thing regarding the insurance we should visit the parcel officer at the station
hai nabeel
i am also planning a trip to ladak via chandigarh and manali on july or august 2014.still looking so many logs.you did an awesome trip.congarats brother.same plan.. carrying bike to chandigarah by train from thrissur kerala and from there on road to leh.i have some questions regarading the above thread:
1,most train stops at each station 6 or 10 minutes..with in this limited time we have to get into the train to load our belongings ,at the same time the bike also has to be loaded from the other side.how could you manage both things together and how you assured that your bike been loaded in the same with train with in this limited time??.the same situation happens in the arrival station too.how we know that our bike is unloaded from the train??.is there any system data transfer between these two stations that a bike is loaded for this person has to be unloaded at that particular station or we have to get down from the train at destination and go to counter and say that my bike in this train has to be unloaded from this train showing all documents with in this limited time???? waiting for nabeel,s answer…