Luggage secure on trains and buses

Yildiz

Thanks for all the info on railway travel. One query ....would a normal full size suitcase with wheels go into the special van mentioned for large items, or would it travel in the compartment (Im planning daytime trips using Chair Class)? If in the compartment, whats the best way to keep it safe when I leave to use the toilet? (Am travelling alone .... first time independent holiday like this and I dont know India............this is my major worry ....no friend to guard the luggage whilst I attend to other things!)(Also Ihavent travelled on a train ... anywhere ....for decades!)

Will be using bus to travel from Kannur to Mysore .... what will happen to suitcase on Indian buses? Here in Turkey the uniformed attendant stows it in the luggage area under bus, tags it and gives you a tag with the same number to use in collecting it at end of journey..............is it the same in India?

Is there likely to be anywhere to leave luggage safely at bus or train stations?

Those I am planning to use are Ernakulum trainstation, Kannur bus and train, and Mysore bus and pos train also.

Before anyone suggests the obvious solution to my worries .... I have ME/fibromalgia and so the amount I can carry in a backpack would not be enough for anyone to manage on ....let alone me myself! So it has to be a suitcase.

aadil

You can always bring it in the compartment and leave it under your seat if in the sleeper coaches but in the chair cars it may be a problem with large sized luggage as it may be impossible to keep it in the overhead space or below the seats. You could still take it in and leave it in the entrance area once you enter the coach. Not too many people with large luggage in these coaches so it may not be a big problem. Just make sure you keep it chained to a seat or window bar with a long metal chain available at all train stations in the small mobile stalls or even outside the stations if you fear it will go missing when you go to the toilet. Should not be too much of a problem, I guess.

There are left luggage counters at almost all major and medium sized railway stations called cloak rooms and the charge per bag is Rs10 for 24 hours. These are open 24 hours except for three short breaks during the daytime for 30 minutes each. It is pretty safe to leave the bags there and they issue a receipt for the same so keep that safely to retrieve your bags. They may ask for your train ticket sometimes but not always.

On buses there is not much space inside the bus so they usually keep it on the top of the bus in the older state transport buses and in the lower side spaces of the bus on the new, better looking buses. They usually do not give you a receipt but do ask where you are getting off so that they load it in the proper compartment according to the destination. There is no identification process for your bags usually unless it is a good and reputable operator. So it all depends on which bus you are taking and if the service is with a reputable and good operator. Does help a lot when you are carrying everything in one bag that is not with you during the journey!!!

Hope this helps. And enjoy your journey in India!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

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Yildiz

Thanks very much for this wonderfully thorough reply. I will invest in the chain ....good to know I can buy one at the station itseif ....sit back relax and enjoy the scenery!

I intend to travel on the best bus I can find travelling the Kannur - Mysore route. Bus prices seem to be very reasonable ... so this is one place I can go for the deluxe option.

Had a quick look at your webpage on VT ....beautiful shot of eclipse ....I actually worked in Zambia for a while .... many many years ago. Will look at page in detail later. Thanks agaim

Yıldız

aadil

Hi Yildiz,

Thanks so much for your lovely words about my homepage. Much appreciated.

I don't have much of a clue about the best bus available from the places you want to travel in India but there are not too many deluxe options available even though you may find the buses called as super luxury buses too!!! So be careful when taking one, check if it is a Volvo bus, then it should be a good one.

Glad you liked my homepage and hope you enjoyed it too. Zambia was one of the places I have visited just for the eclipse just like Iran. Hope to make it to Libya in March 2006 for the next big one!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.