South Central Railway Takes a New Step: Parcel Booking from Home

South Central Railway on Wednesday officially launched the ‘Rail Parcel App’ pilot project at Rail Nilayam in Hyderabad. Introduced for the first time in Indian Railways, the app enables customers to book parcels from home and avail door-to-door pickup and delivery services . Officials described the initiative as a key step towards taking the railway freight system fully in the digital direction .

Speaking at the launch event, South Central Railway General Manager Sanjay Kumar Srivastava said it was a matter of pride that the zone was selected by the Railway Board for the pilot project. He credited the achievement to the efforts of their teams and industry partners. He also commended the Headquarters team, along with the Commercial, Finance and Hyderabad Division teams, for overcoming technical challenges and developing the project in a record time of just four months .

Srivastava explained that the technology-driven app offers three major facilities: door-to-door parcel pickup and delivery , seamless online booking, and complete parcel tracking (visibility). He said these services would make parcel transportation more convenient and transparent for customers.

Officials stated that the pilot project has currently been launched in seven cities across the country. Based on user feedback and suggestions, the service is expected to be expanded nationwide. The long-term vision, they said, is to enable anyone, anywhere in India, to book parcels directly from home.

At the same time, South Central Railway signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indian Institute of Management Bangalore to conduct an in-depth study of the freight and logistics market. Srivastava noted that collaboration between a large organisation like the Railways and a prestigious academic institution such as IIM would help translate innovative ideas into action. He added that IIM’s research would provide new direction to the Railways while offering students a real-world laboratory.

For the successful implementation of the project, State Bank of India is serving as the banking partner, while Centre for Railway Information Systems and other logistics partners played a key role in software development. Officials expressed confidence that coordinated efforts between industry partners and government institutions would bring about transformative changes in the transportation sector.