Left Luggage at Railway Stations

zauberberg · Sep 20th, 2009, 11:15

Does anyone know the maximum number of days you can leave your luggage at the cloak room?
I checked the left luggage conditions on the IRCTC site, but could not find anything...

steven_ber · Sep 20th, 2009, 11:24

Certainly a few months, maybe longer.

zauberberg · Sep 21st, 2009, 07:16

Thank you, Steven...

sunshinehorizon · Sep 21st, 2009, 08:51

Won't someone steal your stuff? I haven't been to India in 15 years or so, so I am assuming it's as ghetto as it was before.

zauberberg · Sep 21st, 2009, 12:36

I had never any problems, leaving my luggage at the cloak room of a railway station, neither do I think, that India was or is
"ghetto"...

sunshinehorizon · Sep 22nd, 2009, 02:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by zauberberg

I had never any problems, leaving my luggage at the cloak room of a railway station, neither do I think, that India was or is
"ghetto"...

Well guides and people are often warn me about leaving my stuff in my hotel. Otherwise, people go in and steal your stuff. I would assume that if someone saw you leave a load of stuff while you go and take off for a bit, there's the likelihood that someone could take it. I would LOVE to leave my stuff a train station. I can only imagine that amount of stuff I'm about to accumulate.

For example, in Thailand at Koh Phanagan, we were warned not to leave our stuff. So instead with hid everything in our room in various places.

So can you see and understand my reluctance here? I am not insulting India, I've heard it's changed a lot, otherwise I would not be going there.

indracal · Sep 22nd, 2009, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshinehorizon

...So can you see and understand my reluctance here? I am not insulting India, I've heard it's changed a lot, otherwise I would not be going there.

Well, I was about to have a knee jerk reaction

untill I saw the above post!

Some more info about max days in IR Cloak rooms (left luggage) here: How long can you leave bags at left luggage? - seems Steven is correct (as always about IR stuff

)

I had left a bag in Howrah station for about 7 days, and nothing happened. Though it was under many other bags when we retrieved it, but that's that - a bit dirty, I would say! Nothing lost. No serious valuables was in it, otherwise I would not have left it there (e.g. laptop, cash, jewellery, camera etc). I guess you get a feeling now, and use your judgement on a case-to-case basis.

I saw a notice on the back of the entrance door of my US East Coast hotel, that the hotel authority would not be responsible for any loss of valuables in that room left by the occupant, but I guess that's statutory. The same would go for the warning by your guide, methinks!

steven_ber · Sep 22nd, 2009, 17:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshinehorizon

Well guides and people are often warn me about leaving my stuff in my hotel. Otherwise, people go in and steal your stuff. I would assume that if someone saw you leave a load of stuff while you go and take off for a bit, there's the likelihood that someone could take it. I would LOVE to leave my stuff a train station. I can only imagine that amount of stuff I'm about to accumulate.

For example, in Thailand at Koh Phanagan, we were warned not to leave our stuff. So instead with hid everything in our room in various places.

So can you see and understand my reluctance here? I am not insulting India, I've heard it's changed a lot, otherwise I would not be going there.

I can understand your nervousness, I was the same on my first couple of trips, but I can assure you, the only way you'll be a victim is of your own thoughts.

You'll be constantly worried about this, about that and about everything else, and in all likelihood, nothing will go wrong.

On my first trip (my first real travel experience) I realised that I didn't want to follow tourists and wanted to go off wandering on my own, I saw roads that I REALLY really wanted to walk down, but I was convinced I'd be mugged or murdered, and guess what, I didn't take them walks, not till much later in the trip, the following comments are from an earlier thread about the 'real India', but they are about my first walks into those areas.

Quote:

The 'real India' is everywhere you go.

Madurai is a good example, apart from one of the most awesome temples in India, it doesn't appear to have a lot for tourists, but it was the city that I found 'the real India' all around me, and helped start my love affair with India.

I done a long post about a family I watched from my hotel window in Madurai, read it here.

But it was more than the view from the hotel that changed me, across the road from the hotel was a little back alley, the kind of alley we all walk past without even giving it a thought, I was fed up with tourist stuff and ready to see the things I was not meant to see.

I walked down this alley and was overcome with a mad mixture of emotions, the people 'living' and working in this alley were the poorest I'd ever seen.

I was scared out of my mind, If I was that poor I'd rob people and maybe even murder someone to feed my children, so I assumed they would do the same to me, I got out of the alley quickly, but it was too late, I'd seen the people, I'd seen the children, I'd seen what looked like a hidden community, and they had all smiled at me, and I was intrigued.

I went back the next day and had a look around their little 'market', it was just a bunch of (mainly) old women sitting on the ground selling vegetables, spices, hair clips, bangles, a few plastic bowls and flowers that had been made into all sorts of shapes, none of the women had a lot of things and the whole atmosphere was more like a social event than a market.

Children were running around with hardly any clothes on and no shoes, and everyone was staring at this out-of-place foreigner, but I wasn't going to run this time.

I found an old man selling chai, so I bought one and sat down, I could see that the children wanted to run over to see this strange person, but they were nervous, but it didn't take long for them to slowly come closer and closer, eventually I was surrounded.

To this day, I am still in awe of these children, the dreadful living conditions seem to go unnoticed and their eyes were filled with happiness, and not one of them asked me for money or put their hands out for anything.

I eventually walked further down the alley and found a cafe, cafe is maybe the wrong word, it was just like a backroom with wide doors and 2 dirty tiny tables, a man was eating what looked like a dosa, so I asked for the same, it was delicious and a pleasant surprise after the tourist crap I'd been served in my hotels.

I saw a small shop selling all sorts of little toys, I walked over and bought a small cricket bat and a couple of tennis balls, the shop owner couldn't stop smiling.

I went back down the alley and offered the cricket bat & balls to one of the women, I gestured that they were for the children, this was misunderstood, and within minutes I was involved in a game of cricket, there was hardly room to swing the bat, never mind play a game of cricket.

I bought a cauliflower and a garland of flowers (my travel partner was ill, so I made him a cauliflower god to watch over him )

I managed to get away about an hour later, and I left Madurai that night, but Madurai never left me.

The real India is also everywhere at 5 or 6 in the morning, no tourists, no touts, just people going to work, or fishermen working on a beach, it's all there, just turn left when everyone else is turning right.

I curse Goa a lot on this forum, it's my least favourite place in India, but even in the heavily touristy Calangute, you can find these alleys, you just have to look a lot harder.

Since those nervous days I've returned many times, I've taken a 7-month old baby, a girlfriend and neither have had problems, I eat Ice cream every day, I drink the water in low price restaurants/cafe's, I eat street food, I wander off into unknown areas (even done this in Bihar), I've travelled 50,000kms on Indian trains, and stayed in 100's of hotels, I've even got absolutely legless with locals, yet I've never got into any problems (apart from sleeping on the streets a few times), and I've never had anything stolen.

Oh, there was once on my last trip when I was pickpocketed, but that was completely my own fault, I really wandered into the wrong area and was surrounded by ladyboys whom I thought were trying to touch me up....until I later realised my ready cash (about Rs1500) had been taken from my pocket (a small price to pay for a great story).

People are victims of crime in India, but if you take the usual precautions, you should be as safe as anywhere else in the world, India gets a poor write up, but it's simply nowhere near as bad as it's portrayed, get the bad thoughts out of your head and enjoy the trip.

chits007 · Sep 23rd, 2009, 13:41

Is it is mandatory to lock luggage before leaving cloak room ? Reason is I have a rucksack now how do i lock it, it has no valuable only cloths.I am OK leaving unlocked. but will the railway official accept???

Another thing , is it advisable to leave electronic good (locked this time) in clock room for a day ?? I will be keeping DSLR

zauberberg · Sep 27th, 2009, 08:34

Chits, yes they want you to lock your luggage. You can get small
padlocks, that you can use on the zips of your rucksack, that will
be good enough. With electronic stuff, well I wouldn't leave anything too valuable, but as I said before, I never lost anything
I have been using the cloak rooms in railway stations all over India for years...

machadinha · Sep 27th, 2009, 09:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by zauberberg

Does anyone know the maximum number of days you can leave your luggage at the cloak room?

Quote:

Originally Posted by steven_ber

Certainly a few months, maybe longer.

Nope, sorry Steve, but it technically is a month. You could see if with a nice smile you could negotiate a longer period, of course.

Costs Rs. 10 a piece a day, btw.

FNQ Jen · Sep 27th, 2009, 10:29

Is the cloak room at Delhi open late? We are going to Shimla on the connecting overnight train (Howrah Kalka Mail I think it is) that leaves Delhi at 9.40pm. We would like to leave our luggage after checking out of our guest house, and then spend the day sightseeing. Don't want to rock up and find that the cloakroom closed at 5pm!

Also, the boarding station is DLI - is that Old Delhi or New Delhi station?

Cheers
Jen

machadinha · Sep 27th, 2009, 11:20

DLI = Old Delhi station.

I'm pretty sure they have a cloakroom yes; should normally be open 24/7. It's a pretty significant station.

They'll take breaks though, normally for a half hour or so; possibly for longer at minor stations (or shutting down for the night and when there are no trains, indeed).

So enquire about this when leaving your gear; and don't make the mistake of coming to collect it ten minutes before departure, there'll be forms to fill and there may be a line in front of you and etc.

FNQ Jen · Sep 28th, 2009, 03:37

Thanks Machadinha
We will ask when leaving the luggage to be certain, if OK then we can sightsee all day and have dinner before picking up our luggage well before the train leaves.

Cheers
Jen

chits007 · Oct 5th, 2009, 21:41

Thanks,
Ok now back from trip and yes I tried the cloack room at J&K and the guy was very adamant for lock , so he took only one suitacase as the rucksack cant be locked

so i had to crry with me and yes I put my SLR and Camcorder and got it safely.

Indian Railway Cloak is safe no issue any..

Quote:

Originally Posted by zauberberg

Chits, yes they want you to lock your luggage. You can get small
padlocks, that you can use on the zips of your rucksack, that will
be good enough. With electronic stuff, well I wouldn't leave anything too valuable, but as I said before, I never lost anything
I have been using the cloak rooms in railway stations all over India for years...

Sep 20th, 2009, 11:15	#1
zauberberg Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 11	Left Luggage at Railway Stations Does anyone know the maximum number of days you can leave your luggage at the cloak room? I checked the left luggage conditions on the IRCTC site, but could not find anything...

Sep 20th, 2009, 11:24	#2
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: South of England. Posts: 11,575	Certainly a few months, maybe longer. __________________ . How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions. Train information. RAC & Waitlists explained.

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Sep 21st, 2009, 07:16	#3
zauberberg Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 11	Thank you, Steven...

Sep 21st, 2009, 08:51	#4
sunshinehorizon Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 22	Won't someone steal your stuff? I haven't been to India in 15 years or so, so I am assuming it's as ghetto as it was before.

Sep 21st, 2009, 12:36	#5
zauberberg Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 11	I had never any problems, leaving my luggage at the cloak room of a railway station, neither do I think, that India was or is "ghetto"...

Sep 23rd, 2009, 13:41	#9
chits007 Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 573	Is it is mandatory to lock luggage before leaving cloak room ? Reason is I have a rucksack now how do i lock it, it has no valuable only cloths.I am OK leaving unlocked. but will the railway official accept??? Another thing , is it advisable to leave electronic good (locked this time) in clock room for a day ?? I will be keeping DSLR

Sep 27th, 2009, 08:34	#10
zauberberg Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 11	Chits, yes they want you to lock your luggage. You can get small padlocks, that you can use on the zips of your rucksack, that will be good enough. With electronic stuff, well I wouldn't leave anything too valuable, but as I said before, I never lost anything I have been using the cloak rooms in railway stations all over India for years...

Sep 27th, 2009, 10:29	#12
FNQ Jen Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Far North Queensland Australia Posts: 34	Is the cloak room at Delhi open late? We are going to Shimla on the connecting overnight train (Howrah Kalka Mail I think it is) that leaves Delhi at 9.40pm. We would like to leave our luggage after checking out of our guest house, and then spend the day sightseeing. Don't want to rock up and find that the cloakroom closed at 5pm! Also, the boarding station is DLI - is that Old Delhi or New Delhi station? Cheers Jen

Sep 27th, 2009, 11:20	#13
machadinha brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 14,406	DLI = Old Delhi station. I'm pretty sure they have a cloakroom yes; should normally be open 24/7. It's a pretty significant station. They'll take breaks though, normally for a half hour or so; possibly for longer at minor stations (or shutting down for the night and when there are no trains, indeed). So enquire about this when leaving your gear; and don't make the mistake of coming to collect it ten minutes before departure, there'll be forms to fill and there may be a line in front of you and etc.

Sep 28th, 2009, 03:37	#14
FNQ Jen Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Far North Queensland Australia Posts: 34	Thanks Machadinha We will ask when leaving the luggage to be certain, if OK then we can sightsee all day and have dinner before picking up our luggage well before the train leaves. Cheers Jen