NEW DELHI: The Indian Railways will soon start a door-to-door delivery service of goods like e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart.

Goods will be delivered to the distribution centers in different parts of the country through the extensive network of railways and then delivered to the homes of the customers with the help of the Postal Department or private companies. The move comes as part of the Railways' passenger-friendly schemes. Railways' door delivery service will be available not only to individuals but also to bulk customers who purchase goods in bulk. Railways have started conducting test runs for this.

Door delivery will be implemented be with the help of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation set up under the Railways to facilitate the movement of goods by goods trains. The door-to-door delivery service will be piloted in the Delhi-NCR and the Sanand sector of Gujarat in June-July. Following this, the service will be launched in Mumbai. The Railways has asked various railway zones to develop a module for this purpose.

When road traffic was disrupted during the lockdown, pharma companies relied on the railways to deliver supplies, including ventilators and medicines. The success of this move paved the way for the idea of door delivery.

• Customers can book through mobile app/ website
• Items can be sent and received
• QR code to track the movement of goods
• Customers can know the approximate rate and time of arrival of the goods
• Service available to individuals and organizations
• Goods can be delivered to railway stations
• Goods will be picked up from the customer's place as well
• India Post and private agencies for distribution