Now, secure your travel bags in a digi locker

The same charge as for the use of the cloakroom now is levied for use of the digi locker

Waiting for the train, but tied to your baggage? No worries now. A digital QR-tag based system will secure your bags. Baggage digital locker experiment, a first on the railways that started at Mumbai CSMT two weeks ago seems to have clicked well, with over 2,200 users and over a Rs 1 lakh revenue from it. The idea is now being replicated at some other stations.

The experiment basically involves a digitally enabled locker, where one can store the luggage at the station safely, as it opens only with the QR code scanner on the receipt issued to the holder. This first of its kind project on the railways will not just generate non-fare revenue but also provide improved cloakroom service through secure lockers, digital payment facility, use of QR tags and online receipt generation.

"These digi-cloakrooms will give an enhanced sense of safety and convenience to passengers about depositing their luggage," General Manager Anil Kumar Lahoti said. "The commuter response to this project has been overwhelming within a few weeks of launch. So far at Mumbai CSMT, there have been 2,204 users with earnings of Rs 1,03,380 involving 3,446 bags," Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said.

"The cost of installation, maintenance and operation of these modern lockers with digital features over a span of five years will be fully borne by the party that has been given the contract. The aim of such cloakroom operations is to save expenditure on manpower in addition to non-fare estimated revenue of R79.65 lakh over a period of five years. The same project is being replicated at Dadar and Kurla LTT," Sutar added.

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What it is

A smart cloakroom provides the use of technology and QR tags at the same traditional price. Earlier, the bags would be kept in custody on wooden racks and tied up and token numbers were issued. Now, the bags will be secured in a digital locker which will open only with the QR code on the receipt of the holder. "There is no increase in charge for using the service, which is Rs 30 per bag for 24 hours. Passengers can select a locker as per the size of their luggage. The team at the room provides 24 hours operator support to assist passengers," Sutar said.

A test drive

This journalist used a small bag and was given a receipt with a barcode which was used for retrieval of the bag. The bag was first scanned at the baggage X-ray scanner at the gate by the Railway Protection Force (RPF). After getting the scanning tag, the journalist approached the cloakroom between platform 13 and 14. The cloakroom manager required the passenger's travel details along with the compulsory scanning tag from RPF. One the details were typed on the digital screen and currency notes of R30 inserted, the door of the locker opened automatically and a slip with a QR code was given to the holder of the baggage. While taking the bag out, the commuter just had to scan the code on the machine with the receipt and the tamperproof locker opened to retrieve the bag. Overall, a pleasant experience.

Smart questions

What if someone comes with a bomb and places it there?
Every bag is accepted only after RPF X-ray scans it at the entry and provides a tag.

What if the bag is stolen from the digital counter?
Less likely because the cloak room is monitored 24x7 physically by a manager and a 24X7 HD centrally monitored CCTV network in addition to security

What if someone else gets the receipt and comes to pick up the luggage?
The team will not handover the bag to anyone else and will always verify the mobile number and details provided during placing the bag.

What happens if no one comes to claim the bag?
After waiting for a certain number of days, the bag is deposited in the Lost Property Cell of the station.

Rs 30
Cost for keeping one bag for 24 hours in the digital locker