SER TIME TABLED PARCEL TRAINS FOR ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES
In continuous efforts to transport and supply the essential commodities during the nationwide lockdown in the wake of COVID-19, the following Parcel Special Trains on 8 routes will originate/terminate and pass over through SER system as per the stoppages and timings mentioned below for facilitating transportation of critical/essential items such as medical supplies, foods, equipments etc.
1.Shalimar-Changsari Parcel Express
00803 Shalimar-Changsari Parcel Express will leave Shalimar at 18:30 hours on 4th and 11th April, 2025 and will reach Changsari at 17:30 hours on the next day. In the return direction, 00804 Changsari-Shalimar Parcel Express will leave Changsari at 23:30 hours on 6th and 13th April, 2025 and will arrive Shalimar at 21:30 hours on the next day.
2.Parcel Express Special Trains between KSR Bengaluru/Yesvantpur-Howrah-KSR Bengaluru/Yesvantpur
00603 KSR Bengaluru/Yesvantpur-Howrah Parcel Express Special will leave KSR Bengaluru/Yesvantpur at 13:00 hours on 1st, 4th, 8thand 11th April, 2025 and will arrive Howrah at 02:00 hours on the third day. In the return direction, 00604 Howrah-KSR Bengaluru/Yesvantpur Parcel Express Special will leave Howrah at 11:00 hours on 3rd, 6th, 10th and 13th April, 2025 and will reach KSR Bengaluru/Yesvantpur at 21:30 hours on the next day. This Parcel Special will have stoppages at Balasore, Kharagpur, Panskura and Mecheda over South Eastern Railway’s jurisdiction in both directions.
3.Secunderabad-Howrah-Secunderabad Parcel Express
Secunderabad-Howrah Parcel Express will leave Secunderabad at 22:00 hours on 2nd and 9thApril, 2025 (Thursday) and will arrive Howrah at 04:00 hours on Saturday. In the return direction, Howrah-Secunderabad Parcel Express will leave Howrah at 16:05 hours on 4th and 11th April (Saturday) will reach Secunderabad at 18:00 hours, next day.
4.Karambeli-Changsari-Karambeli Parcel Special
00903 Karambeli-Changsari Parcel Special will leave Karambeli at 18:00 hours on 2ndApril, 2020 and will reach Changsari at 05:00 hours on 5th April, 2025. In the return direction, 00904 Changsari-Karambeli Parcel Special will leave Changsari at 12:00 hours on 6th April, 2025 and will reach Karambeli at 21:30 hours on 8th April, 2025. This Parcel Special will have stoppages at Jharsuguda, Tatanagar and Sankrail Goods Terminal over South Eastern Railway’s jurisdiction in both directions.
5.Kankariya-Sankrail Goods Terminal-Kankariya Parcel Special
00905 Kankariya-Sankrail Goods Terminal Parcel Special will leave Kankariya at 23:45 hours on 31st March, 2020 and will arrive Sankrail Goods Terminal at 20:00 hours on 2nd April, 2025. In the return direction, 00906 Sankrail Goods Terminal – Kankariya Parcel Special will leave Sankrail Goods Terminal at 22:30 hours on 4th April, 2025 and will reach Kankariya at 18:15 hours on 6th April, 2025. This Parcel Special will have stoppages at Kharagpur, Tatanagar and Rourkela over South Eastern Railway’s jurisdiction in both directions.
6.Kalyan-Sankrail Goods Terminal-Kalyan Parcel Express Special
00101 Kalyan-Sankrail Goods Terminal Parcel Express Special will leave Kalyan at 20:30 hours on 2nd and 9th April, 2020 and will arrive Sankrail Goods Terminal at 12:00 hours on 4th and 11thApril, 2025 respectively. In the return direction, 00102 Sankrail Goods Terminal-Kalyan Parcel Express Special will leave Sankrail Goods Terminal at 22:00 hours on 6thand 13th April, 2020 and will reach Kalyan at 18:00 hours on 8thand 15th April, 2025 respectively. This Parcel Express Special will have stoppages at Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Tatanagar over South Eastern Railway’s jurisdiction in both directions.
7.Kalyan-Changsari-Kalyan Parcel Express Special
00103 Kalyan-Changsari Parcel Express Special will leave Kalyan at 20:30 hours on 7thApril, 2025 and will reach Changsari at 12:00 hours on 10th April, 2025. In the return direction, 00104 Changsari-Kalyan Parcel Express will leave Changsari at 23:30 hours on 10th April, 2025 and will reach Kalyan at 20:00 hours on 13th April, 2020. This Parcel Express Special will have stoppages at Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Tatanagar and Sankrail Goods Terminal over South Eastern Railway’s jurisdiction in both directions.
8.Godhani-New Tinsukia-Godhani Parcel Express Special
00105 Godhani-New Tinsukia Parcel Express Special will leave Godhani at 20:00 hours on 31st March, 2025 and will reach New Tinsukia at 02:30 hours on 3rdApril, 2025. In the return direction, 00106 New Tinsukia-Godhani Parcel Express Special will leave New Tinsukia at 12:00 hours on 3rd April, 2025 and will arrive Godhani at 19:00 hours on 5th April, 2025. This Parcel Special will have stoppages at Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Tatanagar over South Eastern Railway’s jurisdiction in both directions.
Here’s a detailed overview of how South Eastern Railway (SER) operated time‑tabled parcel express trains to transport essential commodities during the COVID‑19 pandemic:
Contents
🚆 SER’s Parcel Express Trains for Essential Commodities
📊 Scale of Operations (2025)
From April 2 to August 16, 2025:
- SER ran 3,558 trips of parcel express trains, carrying around 67,971 tonnes across 2,613,356 packages
Earlier milestones include:
- From April 2 to July 15: 2,652 trips carrying 46,141 tonnes and 1,781,264 packages
- From April 2 to June 30: 2,266 trips covering 36,532 tonnes and 1,373,645 packages
🧾 Commodities & Parcels Transported
The trains carried a wide array of essential goods including:
- Food items: vegetables, fruits, onions, ginger, garlic, fish, groceries
- Medicines and medical equipment
- Cotton goods, gunny bags, other daily-use items
- Seeds, milk/dairy products, e-commerce consignments, packaged food, masks/PPE, books and stationery
📍 Key Routes Under SER Jurisdiction
Parcel trains traversed several major corridors, including:
- Shalimar – Ranchi, Shalimar – Mumbai CSMT, Howrah – Secunderabad, Howrah – KSR Bengaluru, Shalimar – Porbandar, and Tatanagar – Itwari
- Trains between KSR Bengaluru and Dimapur also passed through the SER zone
These operated on fixed schedules, ensuring robust connectivity for vital routes across states.
🧠 Purpose & Strategic Role
- Swift and reliable delivery of essential commodities nationwide during lockdown
- Service available to government agencies, industries, traders, e-commerce and individual customers
- Maintained throughout less-demand routes—some with only one or two parcel vans—to ensure no region was unserved
📌 Summary Table
| Period | Trips | Tonnes Carried | Packages Delivered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2–Jun 30 | 2,266 | 36,532 t | 1,373,645 |
| Apr 2–Jul 15 | 2,652 | 46,141 t | 1,781,264 |
| Apr 2–Aug 16 | 3,558 | 67,971 t | 2,613,356 |
✅ Key Takeaways
- SER’s parcel train service helped sustain critical supply chains across key regions during the pandemic.
- Operation scale escalated from hundreds to thousands of trips, with progressively increasing cargo load.
- Covered a diverse set of routes and commodities, including perishables, medical supplies, and FMCG goods.
- Services were consistent across high-demand and low‑demand routes to ensure inclusivity.
Would you like a list of the current time‑tabled parcel express train numbers, detailed schedule maps, or guidance on booking parcels via SER today?