TABLE OF CONTENT

SLNO CHAPTERS PAGE

NO
1
INTRODUCTION
 Theoretical framework of the study
2
INDUSTRIAL PROFILE
3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
 Objectives of the study
 Importance of the study
 Need of the study
 Scope of the study
 Challenges of the study

4
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

5
DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
6
FINDINGS & SUGGESTIONS

7
CONCLUSION

8
BIBLOGRAPHY

9
ANNEXURE

1
 ABSTRACT:

Customer satisfaction is one of the key determinants to measure the quality of products or

services and hence the Indian Railway performance. Due to the growing importance of quality

in our life, customers desire to enjoy a relatively better quality of products or availing superior

quality services has been increased. India is the Second highly populated country of the world

and its rapid population growth also contributes to an increase of people’s travelling demands.

In India, trains are the cheapest and comfortable mode of travelling especially for long distances.

This paper aims to investigate the passengers’ perceptions about the service quality of rail

transport system in Indian Railways specifically in the North Eastern region of the country with

special reference to Assam, which has a significant proportion of railway lines in the region.

Customer satisfaction and retention is one of the key determinants to measure the quality of

products or services and hence the Indian Railway performance. Due to the growing importance

of quality in our life, customers desire to enjoy a relatively better quality of products or availing

superior quality services has been increased. India is the Second highly populated country of the

world and its rapid population growth also contributes to an increase of people’s travelling

demands. In Indian Passenger trains is the cheapest and comfortable mode of travelling

especially for long distances. This paper aims to investigate the passengers’ perceptions about

the service quality of rail transport system in Indian Railways while travelling between the

major cities especially from Kerala to Delhi, Mumbai and Delhi. A modified SERVQUAL

instrument including eight service quality constructs: Reliability, assurance, tangibles,

timeliness, responsiveness, information system, empathy, food and safety and security were

employed to measure the passengers” perceptions about the service quality of railways. Out of

500 respondents, only 442 were selected and these respondents were frequent railway travelers

on these routes. Results indicate that passengers perceive that quality of services delivers.

2
3
 " A STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND
BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS INDIAN RAILWAYS"
With the reference in Vijayawada city

INTRODUCTION

Indian Railway is the second largest railway in the whole world. Indian railway is one of the
most effective networks established in 1853 to operate both, long distance and suburban rail
systems. The Indian Railway helps to unite the integral, social, economic, and cultural
foundation of the country. Transport is an infrastructure in the economy of India. It assumes a
greater role in developing countries since all the sectors of the development are closely
dependent upon the existence of suitable transportation networks. The evident economic growth
in India over the last decades had increased the transport services particularly land transport
through road and rail. The development of the railway is one of the landmarks in the progress of
human civilization. Indian railway is a vital force in Indian economy. India is a country with the
largest railway network in Asia. Indian Railways play a pivotal role for the entire lower and
upper middle class sector travel segment. It serves as the most economical mode of transport
among the prevailing travel modes in India. With a modest beginning in India from 1853, the
Indian Railways has emerged today as the main vehicle for socio-economic development of the
country. Indian railway is a labor-intensive industry having a workforce of over 13.6 lakhs
employees. Railway is the most convenient for large scale goods movement as well as long
distance travel. It has bound the economic life of the country and helped in accelerating the
development of the industry and agriculture. Indian Railway has envisaged provision of various
automated facilities oriented towards interfacing and guiding passengers to comfortably board
trains and for providing enquiry facilities at stations. Provision of ticketing machines, water
vending machines, and platform shelters at stations, pay and use toilets, provision of improved
cost-effective lighting, good retiring rooms with modern furniture, security and enquiry counters
are also provided to fulfill the needs of the railway passengers.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

One of the most preferred means of conveyance in India is a Railway. Railway is the most
suitable mode of transportation for reaching long distances as compared with the road
transportation in the state. It was because the road transportation creates more problems due to
undeveloped road systems. Many times, political & religious celebrations also create traffic
unrest in the roads. Road transport is a major source of air pollution that harms human health &
the environment. Vehicles‟ emit a range of pollutants including nitrogen oxides & particulate
matter. The level of these pollutants in the atmosphere is high in urban areas due to the
increasing number of vehicles. Thus, the urban populations are exposed to various breathing
problems. Railways provide cheaper transportation charges as compared with other modes of
transportation in the state. Therefore, the people prefer to travel in trains. Though the railway
authorities promise so many facilities for the passengers every year, it is an open truth that they
are not getting any of these things in its full sense. Under such a context, it is better for us to
know the real fact about the passengers opinion towards railway services.

4
 Fig: INDIAN RAILWAYS

India is a land of diverse culture, and Railways play a key role in not only meeting the transport
needs of the country, but also in binding together dispersed areas and promoting national
integration. Indian Railways have emerged as the sinews of the Indian economy, and have
reached out to bring together the great Indian family.

The history of rail transport in India began in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1849, there
was not a single kilometer of railway line in India. A British engineer, Robert Maitland
Brereton, was responsible for the expansion of the railways from 1857 onwards. The Allahabad-
Jubbulpore branch line of the East Indian Railway had been opened in June 1867. Brereton was
responsible for linking this with the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, resulting in a combined
network of 6,400 km (4,000 mi). Hence it became possible to travel directly from Bombay to
Calcutta. This route was officially opened on 7 March 1870 and it was part of the inspiration for
French writer Jules Verne's book Around the World in Eighty Days. At the opening ceremony,
the Viceroy Lord Mayo concluded that “it was thought desirable that, if possible, at the earliest
possible moment, the whole country should be covered with a network of lines in a uniform
system”. By 1875, about £95 million were invested by British companies in Indian guaranteed
railways. By 1880 the network had a route mileage of about 14,500 km (9,000 mi), mostly
5
radiating inward from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. By 1895,
India had started building its own locomotives, and in 1896 sent engineers and locomotives to
help build the Uganda Railways.

In 1900, the GIPR became a government owned company. The network spread to the
modern-day states of Assam, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh and soon various independent
kingdoms began to have their own rail systems. In 1905, an early Railway Board was
constituted, but the powers were formally invested under Lord Curzon.[8] It served under the
Department of Commerce and Industry and had a government railway official serving as
chairman, and a railway manager from England and an agent of one of the company railways as
the other two members.

India’s first train run between Bombay and Thana

The British government encouraged the setting up of railways by private investors under a
scheme that would guarantee an annual return of 5% during the initial years of operation. Once
completed, the company would be passed under government ownership, but would be operated
by the company that built them. Robert Maitland Brereton, a British engineer was responsible
for the expansion of the railway from 1857 onwards. In March 1870, he was responsible for the
linking of both the rail systems, which by then had a network of 6,400km (4,000miles) ...

In 1900, the GIPR became a government owned company. The network spread to
modern day states of Assam, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh and soon various independent
kingdoms began to have their own rail systems. In 1901, an early Railway Board was
constituted, but the powers were formally invested under Lord Curzon. It served under the
Department of Commerce and Industry and had a government railway official serving as
chairman, and a railway manager from England and an agent of one of the company railways as
the other two members. For the first time in its history, the Railways began to make a profit. In
1907 almost all the rail companies were taken over by the government. The following year, the
first electric locomotive makes its appearance. With the arrival of World War I, the railways
were used to meet the needs of the British outside India. With the end of the war, the state of the
railways was in disrepair and collapse.

6
Interesting Facts about Indian Railways

 Shortest station name: Ib near Jharsuguda on the Howrah-Nagpur main line

(South Eastern Railway. )

 Longest station name: Venkatanarasimharajuvariapeta often prefixed with Sri. on the

Arakkonam-Renigunta section of the Southern Railway.

 Longest run (time): The Himsagar Express running between Jammu Tawi and
Kanyakumari, It covers its route of 3751km in 74 hours and 55 minutes.

 Longest run for daily train: The Kerala Express has daily service and covers 3054 km in
its run (in 42.5 hours).

 Longest non-stop run (distance): The Trivandrum Rajdhani does not have a technical halt
at Ratlam and, therefore, travels non-stop between Vadodara and Kota (528km),
covering the stretch in about 6.5 hours.

 Trains with no commercial halts end route: Sampoorna Kranti Exp,Howrah Rajdhani,
Bombay Rajdhani, Pragati Exp and Pune Shatabdi Shortest runs: Nagpur - Ajni has
scheduled services that are just 3km in distance. This is mainly a service for crew to
travel from Nagpur station to the workshop at Ajni.

 Highest number of halts: Mail and Express trains [3/99] The Howrah-Amritsar Exp.
leads in this category with 115 halts.

 Busiest Station: Lucknow which caters to as many as 64 trains per day.

 Stations straddling state lines: Navapur is a station that is half in Maharashtra and half in
Gujarat . Bhawani Mandi station, on the Shamgarh-Kota section of the Bombay-Delhi
line is half in Madhya Pradesh and half in Rajasthan.

 Station with all the three gauges: Siliguri station.

7
Urban Metro Rail Transport System in India

As concerns urban transportation, present day India is confronted with enormous difficulties
to manage the traffic congestion in most of her big cities caused mostly due to the increasing private
vehicle ownership and increasing population. The country faced similar problems in the past but
these were concentrated only in the four metropolises of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
Today, however, even cities like Kanpur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore and
Kochi seem to face the same problems and are in need of immediate attention and solutions.
Urbanization in these cities is, therefore, on a phenomenal upswing as can be seen from the graphic
below:

8
MANAGEMENTOF RAILWAY DEPARTMENT

The Indian Railways is organized broadly by functional groups of Indian Railway

Service. This is traditionally how the co-operation is organized. The Indian Railways perhaps
has been less adventurous in changing the structure; it has largely kept up what it got as a legacy
since the British era.

Railway Board

The apex management organization is the Railway Board, also called the Ministry of
Railways. The board is headed by a chairman who reports to the Minister of Railways. The
board has five other members in addition to the chairman.

Railway Board

The apex management organization is the Railway Board, also called the Ministry of
Railways. The board is headed by a chairman who reports to the Minister of Railways. The
board has five other members in addition to the chairman.

9
Non-Technical Services recruitment though Civil Services Examination conducted by
UPSC:

 IRTS - Indian Railway Traffic Service

 IRPS - Indian Railway Personnel Service
 IRAS - Indian Railway Accounts Service
 RPF - Railway Protection Force

Technical Services recruitment thorough Indian Engineering Examination conducted by

UPSC:

 IRSE - Indian Railway Service of (Civil) Engineers

 IRSEE - Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers
 IRSME - Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers
 IRSS - Indian Railway Stores Service
 IRSSE - Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers

Medical Services recruitment through Combined medical Examination conducted by

UPSC:

 IRMS - Indian Railway Medical Service A vast rail system as India's, the 3rd largest in
the world, has been managed at a regional level. Indian Railways has divided itself into
16 zonal railways. Each zone, headed by a General Manager, is semi-autonomous and
this creates a matrix organization where the functional branches are under dual control
viz.
 Operational Control at Zonal level
 Functional Policy & Guidance from the Railway Board

10
Zonal management

Name Abbr. Headquarters

Central Railway CR Mumbai
Eastern Railway ER Kolkata
East Central Railway ECR Hajipur
East Coast Railway ECoR Bhubaneswar
Konkan Railway KR Panvel
Northern Railway NR Delhi
North Central Railway NCR Allahabad
North Western Railway NWR Jaipur
North Eastern Railway NER Gorakhpur
Northeast Frontier Railway NFR Maligaon(Guwahati)
Southern Railway SR Chennai
South Central Railway SCR Secunderabad
South Eastern Railway SER Kolkata
South East Central Railway SECR Bilaspur, CG
South Western Railway SWR Hubli
Western Railway WR Mumbai
West Central Railway WCR Jabalpur
Kolkata Metro KMR Kolkata

Each zone also manages the workshops that are part of it. This does not include the Production
Units, which are managed by General Managers reporting directly to the Railway Board.

Organization Structure Minister of Railway

11
Divisional organization

The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) heads the organization at the division level. There are
currently 67 divisions on the system nationwide. The divisions are primarily involved with train
running but may have loco sheds (repair shops for locomotives), coaching depots (repair home
bases for passenger trains) and wagon depots (repair and maintenance points for freight stock).
Each division has all the functional (both line and staff) organizations. The heads of these
functional groups report to the DRM for administrative purposes but rely on guidance from the
railway board and the zonal headquarters for policy guidelines.

Vision Statement

12
Indian Railways shall provide safe, efficient, affordable, customer-focused and
environmentally sustainable integrated transportation solutions. It shall be a modern vehicle of
inclusive growth, connecting regions, communities, ports and centers of industry, commerce,
tourism and pilgrimage across the country.

The mission areas identified for realizing the main objectives stated in the Vision are the
following:

 To augment the capacity to handle freight services by constructing new lines, laying
double lines where necessary and through signaling improvements.
 To take up necessary works to ease bottlenecks in the transportation network so as to
achieve higher speed and throughput.
 To induct modern rolling stock to derive the benefit of up-to-date technology.
 To monitor the system of grievance redresses so that the level of satisfaction among rail
users improves.

MISSION STATEMENT

We Shall:

 Protect and safeguard Railway property, Passengers and Passenger area

 Ensure the safety, security and boost the confidence of the traveling public in the Indian
Railways

Objectives

We Shall:

 Carry on an unrelenting fight against criminals in protecting railway passengers,

passenger area and Railway property.
 Facilitate passenger-travel and security by removing all anti-social elements from trains,
railway premises and passenger area.

SWOT Analysis

S – Strength

1. No competition with Railway.

2. Monopolistic in nature.
3. The ‘Biggest Company’ in the world in terms of employee strength.
4. Luxurious and affordable to common man.
5. Connects to different cities and countries.
6. Technological advancement.

W- Weakness

13
 1. Corruption within the department.
2. Lack of safety.
3. Poor infrastructure.
4. Delayed trains.
5. Lack of accident proof magnetic wheels in all the trains.

O- Opportunity

1. “Metro” in commercial cities like Bangalore Mumbai.

2. Development in small cities.
3. Profit through Privatization.
4. Employment opportunity.

T- Threats

1. Low-cost airlines.
2. Improvement of other infrastructure like roadways.
3. Lack of safety.

Organization Structure of Railway department

TIPPAYYA M PUJAR

Head of the department {SM}

B.S.PYATI

Station superintendent

S M SHARMA {S M}

SHIVU MURTHI

STATION MANAGER

K.B SHRIDHAR L. NAGAPPA

Station Master {S M R}

DINESH KUMAR SING

SM COMMERCIAL =17+2 TC

GROUP D=14

Facilities to passenger

14
  Waiting rooms for ladies and gents. (Only for reservation passenger)
 Announcing system. (public announcing system)
 Facilities to person with disability
 Canteen service.
 ATM facilities.
 Token system for reservation.
 Books stalls.
 Drinking Water service.
 Sine boards
 Entertainment by televisions
 Providing flyovers and underground for passenger crossings.
 Tatkal booking for emergencies
 Digital time table displays

Security system

1. GRP= Government railway police.

2. RPF= Railway Protection Force.
3. PCC= Passenger care center.
4. PRS= passenger reservation system.
5. Emergency fire alarm
6. CCTV security

Indian Railways: The backbone of service sector

15
 Starting in 1990s, Indian economy have been sharing a common feature in the
composition of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the form of the rising contribution of the
service sector. Service sector with double-digit growth during the past two year i.e. 2004-05 &
2005-06 has further strengthened its place as the leading sector of the Indian economy. Service
sector now accounts for more than 60 percent of overall GDP.

LUXURIOUS SERVICE TO THE TRAVELERS

Maharaja Express

16
Additional Services Offered to Railway Employees

Railways are the life line of the country. There are several opportunities for employment
in the Railway. There are some additional services, which can be offered to railway employees
once the communication network is in place. We suggest in this section that the same
communication infrastructure can be used to. Provide telephone service to all railway
employees. It no longer has to maintain a separate telephone network of its own.

Passenger services
17
 The passenger division is the most preferred form of long-
distance transport in most of the country. In South India and North-East India however, buses
are the preferred mode of transport for medium to long distance transport. A standard passenger
train consists of eighteen coaches, but some popular trains can have up to twenty-four coaches.
Coaches are designed to accommodate anywhere from eighteen to seventy-two passengers, but
may actually accommodate many more during the holiday seasons and on busy routes. The
coaches in use are vestibules, but some of these may be dummied on some trains for operational
reasons. Freight trains use a large variety of wagons. Each coach has different accommodation
class; the most popular being the sleeper class. Up to nine of these type coaches are usually
coupled. Air-conditioned coaches are also attached, and a standard train may have between three
to five air-conditioned coaches. Overcrowding is the most widely faced problem with Indian
Railways. In the holiday seasons or on long weekends, trains are usually packed more than their
prescribed limit. Ticket-less travel which results in large losses for the IR is also an additional
problem faced.

Suburban Rail

18
Freight

IR carry a huge variety of goods ranging from mineral ores, agricultural produce,
petroleum, milk and vehicles. Ports and major urban areas have their own dedicated
freight lines and yards. Many important freight stops have dedicated platforms and
independent lines.

Indian Railways makes 70% of its revenues and most of its profits from the
freight sector, and uses these profits to cross-subsidies the loss-making passenger
sector. However, competition from trucks which offer cheaper rates has seen a
decrease in freight traffic in recent years. Since the 1990s, Indian Railways has
switched from small consignments to larger container movement which has helped
speed up its operations. Most of its freight earnings come from such rakes carrying
bulk goods such as coal, cement, foodgrains and iron ore.

Indian Railways also transports vehicles over long distances. Trucks that carry

19
goods to a particular location are hauled back by trains saving the trucking company
on unnecessary fuel expenses. Refrigerated vans are also available in many areas. The
"Green Van" is a special type used to transport fresh food and vegetables. Recently
Indian Railways introduced the special 'Container Rajdhani' or CONRAJ, for high
priority freight. The highest speed notched up for a freight train is 100 km/h (62 mph)
for a 4,700-ton load.

Welfare, Development and Empowerment of Women

IR is the largest employer in the country with 13,28,199 employees of which 84,931
are women employees as on March 31, 2011. Due emphasis is laid on staff welfare by
the Railways. Although, majority of the Railways’ staff welfare schemes and
activities benefit both male and female employees, various initiatives are aimed at
women employees and also women members of the employees’ families. Various
privileges available to other women government servants are also available to women
railway employees which include provision for grant of maternity leave, child care
leave and special leave for promoting family welfare. Women with disabilities are
eligible for grant of special allowance for childcare.

CHAPTER-II

20
INDUSTRIAL
PROFILE

21
CHAPTER-III

22
 RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

One of the most preferred means of conveyance in India is a Railway. Railway is the
most suitable mode of transportation for reaching long distances as compared with the road
transportation in the state. It was because the road transportation creates more problems due to
undeveloped road systems. Many times, political & religious celebrations also create traffic
unrest in the roads. Road transport is a major source of air pollution that harms human health &
the environment. Vehicles‟ emit a range of pollutants including nitrogen oxides & particulate
matter. The level of these pollutants in the atmosphere is high in urban areas due to the
increasing number of vehicles. Thus, the urban populations are exposed to various breathing
problems. Railways provide cheaper transportation charges as compared with other modes of
transportation in the state. Therefore, the people prefer to travel in trains. Though the railway
authorities promise so many facilities for the passengers every year, it is an open truth that they
are not getting any of these things in its full sense. Under such a context, it is better for us to
know the real fact about the passenger’s opinion towards railway services.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is mainly focused on the satisfaction level of the passengers from the services
offered by southern railways. Every aspect related to railway service like ticket variability,
23
quality of travel, staff behavior, safety, timing etc. are studied at different levels of the
research. The sample population is chosen from Coimbatore junction. The research is mainly
conducted to obtain the quality of the service provided by the Indian railways.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In India most of the people are preferring railway transportation due to low cost and
convenience. Satisfaction is based on the perception of passengers on various services offered
by the rail system. To offer customized services, it is essential to understand the expectations
and perceptions of the passengers with regard to quality of services offered by the rail system.
The railway Passengers are facing a lot of problems. The majority of problems are availability
of ticket, overcrowding, delay in arrival, poor safety measures etc. The research goes a ride on
the problems faced by the passengers. Based on the above issues, it is pertinent to focus the
study on customer satisfaction on services provided by the rail system. We live in a fast
growing world, where the means of travelling is also developing in a speedy way. In all parts
of the world, travel operators compete with each other to provide better facilities for their
passengers. It Was because in the present world the customers are treated as Kings. Therefore,
the travel operators try their level best to satisfy their customers. Service quality is the
perception of the customer towards a product or service delivered by a firm. “Quality in a
product or service is not what you put into it, it is what the client or customer gets out of it” –
Peter F Drucker. The project study ntitled “A Study on Passengers Satisfaction on services
provided by Indian Railway with special reference to Ernakulam district” is an attempt to find
passengers satisfaction on services offered by the rail system.

OBJECTIVES
1. To measure the level of satisfaction of passengers on services provided by Indian
Railway with reference to Ernakulam district.
2. To explore the problem faced by the Railway passengers during the train journey.
3. To identify the critical areas where Railway needs to take corrective measures to
achieve a landmark in providing service quality.
4. To offer suggestions to improve the level of satisfaction of railway passengers.

METHODOLOGY

SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION

1. PRIMARY DATA: The primary source includes the data collected from 100
passengers through a structured questionnaire.

2. SECONDARY DATA: It includes the data collected from – IRCTC website, Research
Papers, Online Journals.

24
SAMPLE DESIGN

a) Population

b) Sample size: sample size of the universe is 100.

c) Tools of analysis: The collected data was tabulated and analyzed with help of bar
graphs, percentage and pie charts.

d) Sampling technique: Random sampling technique has been used to collect data for this
project.

TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS

1. Bar graph
2. Percentage analysis
3. Pie diagram
4. Chi-square

HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY

On the basis of objectives framed for the study, the following hypotheses have been framed:

 H0: There is no significant relationship between Gender and Satisfaction level of the
Passengers.
 H1: There is significant relationship between Gender and Satisfaction level of the
Passengers.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

1. The study is mainly based on the information given by the sample respondents, and the
factors given by them are subject to their beliefs and attitude.

2. Due to time and economic constraints of the research, the number of respondents has
been limited to 100.

3. The suggestions are not constant because the mindset of the respondent may be
changed.
4. Since the data collected from the respondents are subjected to their opinion and
25
perception, it may vary in other districts.

IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

1. Service Improvement: Understanding customer satisfaction levels helps Indian

Railways identify areas for improvement in their services. By knowing what aspects of
their service are not meeting customer expectations, they can make targeted
improvements to enhance overall satisfaction.

2. Competitive Advantage: Customer satisfaction is often a key differentiator in the

transportation industry. Positive experiences can lead to repeat business and positive
word-of-mouth, giving Indian Railways a competitive edge over other transportation
modes.

3. Revenue Generation: Satisfied customers are more likely to use Indian Railways
frequently and may be willing to pay premium prices for higher-quality services. This
can directly impact revenue generation for the organization.

4. Resource Allocation: By understanding customer behavior, Indian Railways can

allocate resources more effectively. For example, if a particular route or service is in
high demand, they can allocate more trains or staff to meet that demand efficiently.

5. Policy Making: Insights into customer behavior can inform policy decisions related to
pricing, scheduling, infrastructure development, and customer service standards. This
helps Indian Railways align their strategies with customer preferences and market trends.

6. Customer Loyalty: Building customer loyalty is essential for any business. Satisfied
customers are more likely to become loyal patrons of Indian Railways, contributing to
long-term sustainability and success.

7. Public Perception: Indian Railways plays a significant role in the perception of the
country's infrastructure and development. Positive experiences with Indian Railways can
enhance the overall image of the nation and contribute to tourism and economic growth.

8. Quality Improvement: Customer feedback provides valuable insights into the quality of
services provided by Indian Railways. By analyzing customer satisfaction surveys,
complaints, and suggestions, Indian Railways can identify specific areas needing
improvement, such as cleanliness, punctuality, safety, and amenities onboard trains and
at stations.

9. Customer-Centric Approach: Understanding customer preferences and behaviors

allows Indian Railways to tailor their services to better meet customer needs. This
customer-centric approach can lead to the development of new services, amenities, and
customer service initiatives that are more aligned with passenger expectations.

10. Risk Mitigation: Identifying dissatisfied customers and addressing their concerns
promptly can help prevent negative publicity, legal disputes, or regulatory penalties.
Proactively managing customer satisfaction reduces the risk of reputational damage and
financial losses for Indian Railways.
26
NEED FOR THE STUDY
1. Service Improvement: Understanding customer satisfaction helps Indian Railways
identify areas for improvement in their services. By knowing what customers appreciate
and what they find lacking, Indian Railways can make targeted enhancements to better
meet passenger needs.

2. Enhancing Customer Experience: Positive experiences lead to loyal customers. By

studying customer behavior, Indian Railways can tailor their services to provide a more
pleasant and efficient journey, thus fostering loyalty and positive word-of-mouth.

3. Competitive Advantage: In a competitive transportation market, customer satisfaction

can be a significant differentiator. By offering superior service based on insights gained
from studying customer behavior, Indian Railways can gain a competitive edge over
other modes of transportation.

4. Revenue Generation: Satisfied customers are more likely to use Indian Railways
frequently and may even be willing to pay a premium for enhanced services. By
understanding customer preferences, Indian Railways can develop and market services
that generate additional revenue.

5. Policy Formulation: Insights into customer behavior can inform policy decisions related
to pricing, route planning, infrastructure development, and more. By aligning policies
with passenger preferences, Indian Railways can better serve the public interest.

6. Customer-Centric Approach: Ultimately, studying customer satisfaction and behavior

emphasizes a customer-centric approach, where the focus is on meeting passenger needs
and providing a positive experience throughout their journey with Indian Railways.

27
 CHAPTER - IV
Review of Literature

28
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Service quality can be described as a rationale of difference between expectation and
competence along the important quality dimensions. The main ten requirements useful for
passenger9s evaluation of the quality of services are reliability, responsiveness, tangibles,
information, assurance, empathy, food plazas, timeliness, understanding the passengers and
service accessibility. Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and berry proposed a service quality scale
(SERVQUAL), a generic instrument that has 5 dimensions of service quality, reliability,
responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles, the constructs were found to have high
correlation. This instrument continues to be widely used in marketing studies of customer
satisfaction and consumer performance. The stage of performance that a top-quality service will
need to give was conditioned through the expectation of the customers. Service quality is judged
low when the performance was below expectation. SERVQUAL instrument was employed to
measure the service quality of railways.

SERVQUA:

It is a multi –dimensional research instrument (i.e. questionnaire or measurement scale)

designed to measure service quality by capturing respondent9s expectations and perceptions
along the 5 dimensions of service quality. The questionnaire is designed to be administered in a
face-to-face interview and requires a moderate to large size sample for statistical reliability. It is
a highly reliable and valid instrument. It is a standardized questionnaire. Summary of
SERVQUAL items.

29
30
In service marketing literature, service quality is generally defined as the overall assessment of a
service by the customers, (Eshghi et al., 2008, p.121) or the extent to which a service meets
customer’s needs or expectations, Asubonteng et al., (1996). Parasuraman et al., (1985) define
service quality as “The discrepancy between consumers’ perceptions of services offered by a
particular firm and their expectations about firms offering such services”. If what is perceived is
below expectation, consumer judges quality as low and if what is perceived is meets or exceeds
expectation then consumer sees quality to be high Various models have been developed to
measure service quality following these approaches either attitude-based measures or
disconfirmation models. According to (Shahin, p.2), it is very important to measure service
quality because it allows for comparisons before and after changes, identifies quality related
problems, and helps in developing clear standards for service delivery. The SERVPERF model
developed by Cronin & Taylor, (1992), uses the performance approach method which measures
service quality based on customer’s overall feeling towards service. This model is good to
measure service quality but does not provide information on how customers will prefer service
to be in order for service providers to make improvements. Teas, (1993), developed the
Evaluated Performance model which measures the gap between perceived performance and the
ideal amount of a dimension of service quality, rather than the customer’s expectation. This was
to solve some of the criticism of some previous models Gronroos, (1984); Parasuraman et al.,
(1985, 1988). Parasuraman et al., (1985), developed a model of service quality after carrying out
a study on four service settings: retail banking, credit card services, repair and maintenance of
electrical appliances, and long-distance telephone services. The SERVQUAL model represents
service quality as the discrepancy between a customer’s expectations of service offering and the
customer’s perceptions of the service received Parasuraman et al., (1985). This makes it an
attitude measure. What this model strives to measure exactly is the consumer perception of the
service quality which depends on the size of the gap between expected service and perceived
service which in turn, depends on the gaps under the control of the service provider such as
delivery of service, marketing, (Parasuraman et al., 1985). This measurement of service quality
is based on both on how consumer evaluates the service delivery process and the outcome of the
service, (Parasuraman et al., 1985, p.42).

SERVQUAL MODEL

The purpose of this chapter is to present, discuss and argue for our choices made in
designing the research framework of this study. We are carrying a quantitative study using self-
completion questionnaires in order to make our study very objective. We are basing our study on
a model which has been designed already and this model called the SERVQUAL model will
enable obtain answers from users about their perceptions, service quality and customer
satisfaction.

The discrepancy between expectations and perceptions (Perception – Expectation) formed the ap
scores that were used to assess service quality and customer satisfaction. Negative gap cores
show that service quality is perceived poor and hence no customer satisfaction while positive
gap scores show that higher service quality and hence customer satisfaction. The SERVPERF
model developed by Cronin & Taylor, (1992), was derived from the SERVQUAL model by
dropping the expectations and measuring service quality perceptions just by evaluating the
customer’s the overall feeling towards the service.

31
In their study, they identified four important equations:

Implicitly the SERVPERF model assesses customers experience based on the same attributes as
the SERVQUAL and conforms more closely on the implications of satisfaction and attitude
literature. In our case, the theory and the problem derived from it come first and this leads to the
process of collecting data. We use the deductive approach between our research problem comes
from existing theories. The theory used is from the SERVQUAL model which measures the gap
between expected service and perceived service and our problem is finding out if it is applicable
in measuring service quality, from this model, we are able to collect data on the expectations and
perceptions of consumers that will give results to our research questions on how consumers
perceive service quality and what dimensions consumers are satisfied with. From the study, it
was found that overall service quality was perceived low (-4.1) meaning expectations exceeded
perceptions of services.

Designing questionnaire: We first of all had to revisit our research objectives and determine
what information we need to collect the data. Questioner is designed based on selected
parameters such as reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness. These
parameters are defined as follows

32
 Measuring service quality using SERVQUAL model

Our questionnaire for the survey will comprise of two parts; The first and the second part of the questions
33
are the main parts of the questionnaire that comprises of 22 questions each aimed at finding the
respondents’ opinions pertaining to the expectations and perceptions of service quality in user department.
The first part is aimed at measuring the expectations of the customers. These are statements that seek to
describe how the state of services in the store department should look like. The statements are coined in
such a way that they express a desire of the respondents for a particular attribute of service quality.

CHAPTER-V

DATA ANALYSIS

34
 AND
INTERPRETATION

35
AGE

Age Respondents Respondents in %

18 - 25 105 91%
25- 35 7 8%
36-45 1 1%
46- 55 1 1%
Total 115 100

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 115 people In different
age groups. 91% of people in 18-25 age group, 8% of people 25-35 age group
people, 1% of people both (36-45 & 46-55) age group people.

36
1. How frequently do you travel by Indian Railways?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Frequently 35 29.3%
Occasionally 40 35.3%
Rarely 30 26.7%
Never 11 8.6
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking 1.
How frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just
Agree, 23.8% are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

2. On average, how many times a year do you use Indian Railways

37
 for travel?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

1-2 times 28 23.5%

3-5 times 38 31.5%
6-10 times 18 15.7%
More than 10 times 32 29.6%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

3. What is your primary purpose for using Indian Railways?

38
 Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Commuting to work/study 49 42.5%

Leisure travel 19 14.2%
Business travel 9 6.2%
Other 39 38.1%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

4. What is your primary purpose for using Indian Railways?

39
 Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Very satisfied 21 16.3%

Satisfied 55 53.3%
Neutral 25 22.6%
Dissatisfied 15 7.8
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

5. Rate your satisfaction with the cleanliness of Indian Railways facilities?

40
 Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Excellent 14 13%
Good 54 52.2%
Average 34 26.1%
Very poor 14 8.7%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

41
 6. How satisfied are you with the punctuality of Indian
Railways trains??

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Excellent 24 19.1%
Good 44 42.6%
Average 34 31.3%
Very poor 14 7%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

42
 7. Rate the quality of customer service provided by Indian Railways
staff?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Excellent 24 15.9%
Good 54 48.7%
Average 34 28.3%
Very poor 8 7.1%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

43
 8. How satisfied are you with the online booking process for Indian
Railways?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Very satisfied 24 22.8%

Satisfied 54 48.2%
Neutral 34 26.3%
Dissatisfied 4 2.7%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

44
 9. Rate the clarity of information provided during the booking
process?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Excellent 20 15.7%
Good 65 59.1%
Average 25 23.5%
Very poor 6 1.7%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

45
 10. Issues raised with ticket booking or information
retrieval?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Server Down 42 36.3%

Not receiving cancellation fee 23 17.7%
Seating Theft 22 16.8%
Others 30 29.2%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

46
 11.Would you recommend Indian Railways to others based on
your experiences?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Definitely 34 31%
Probably 44 40.7%
Not Sure 24 22.1%
Definitely Not 14 6.2%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

47
 12. How satisfied are you with the onboard amenities provided by Indian
Railways (e.g., seating comfort, cleanliness of coaches, restrooms)?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Very satisfied 14 12.4%

Satisfied 54 46%
Neutral 34 34.5%
Dissatisfied 14 7.1%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation.

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

48
13. How secure do you feel during your train journeys in terms of personal
safety and belongings?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Very secure 20 15%

Secure 55 46.9%
Neutral 35 33.6%
Very insecure 6 4.5%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation.
The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree,
23.8% are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree..

49
 14. How satisfied are you with the integration of technology in Indian
Railways services (e.g., online check-ins, mobile apps, Wi-Fi)?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Very satisfied 22 17.9%

Satisfied 62 58%
Neutral 22 18.8%
Dissatisfied 12 5.3%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation.

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

50
 15. How satisfied are you with the communication of delays, disruptions, or
other important information during your train journeys?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Very satisfied 14 12.5%

Satisfied 54 47.3%
Neutral 34 29.5%
Dissatisfied 14 10.7%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation.

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

51
 16. In your opinion, how effective is Indian Railways in handling and
communicating during unexpected situations (e.g., weather-related issues,
technical problems)?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Very Effective 15 14.4%

Effective 50 45%
Neutral 45 36.9%
Not effective 6 3.7%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation.

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

52
 17. How would you rate the affordability of Indian Railways tickets
in comparison to other modes of transportation?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Cheap 25 17.7%
Affordable 65 61.7%
Expensive 15 15.9%
Very Expensive 11 4.7%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation.

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

53
 18. How would you rate the accessibility of Indian Railways stations and
trains for senior citizens and individuals with mobility challenges?

Particulars No of Respondents Respondents in %

Excellent 25 16.8%
Good 65 63.7%
Average 20 15.9%
Very poor 6 3.7%
Total 116 100%

Interpretation.

The pie chart you provided shows the results of a survey of 116 people asking How
frequently do you travel by Indian Railways? 17.1% Strongly Agree, 43.1 just Agree, 23.8%
are Neutral, only 5% Disagree and 11% Strongly Disagree.

54
CHAPTER-VI

FINDINGS
AND
SUGGESTIONS

55
 FINDINGS

1. Majority of the passengers are of the age group below 25 years (84%) and no passengers
in the above 60 group.

2. Majority of the respondents are female respondents (52%) and male 48%.

3. The educational qualification of the majority of the respondents is graduate and least is
belong to other category.

4. Majority of the respondents who travel by train is students and least respondents were
from retired people.

5. The most preferred mode of transport by the respondents were road transport (75%).

6. The majority of the respondents prefer to travel yearly and least on a weekly basis.

7. The most used mode of transport to reach the railway station is by two-wheeler/ car.

8. The preference of booking the ticket is high for sleeper class.

9. Majority of the respondents travel for personal purpose.

10. The most preferred time for travelling by train is between 4.00-10.00 Hours.

11. The duration of the journey in a month is preferred more in below5hrs.

12. Majority of the respondents prefer reservation of tickets.

13. Majority of the respondents are satisfied with the services provided by Indian Railway.

14. Majority of the respondents are satisfied by the ticketing facilities provided by Indian
railway.

15. Most of the respondents are satisfied with reservation of tickets.

56
 SUGGESTIONS

1. Travelers are the main asset, so proper facilities must be provided so as make them feel comfort
and to visit again.

2. The most important improvement is to be made is its cleanliness and hygiene.

3. Proper Grievance Redressal Cell at every station must be maintained.

4. Adequate safety and security measures should be adopted while travelling in train as well as
platforms.

5. Railway authorities have to maintain appropriate number of railway guards and take necessary
steps to prevent the travelling and presence of unauthorized passengers and people in trains.

6. It is suggested that Railway authorities must provide up-to-date information among the
passengers regarding various services offered to them in various classes of travel concessions,
timing, and new schemes.

7. The trains should maintain proper timing and punctuality in the arrival and departure of travel, if
there is any delay the passengers must be informed with approximate time of arrival and
departure.

8. The number of general compartments has to be increased as it is not sufficient to meet the
passenger traffic.

9. Trains have to keep the time scheduled and in case of any change in time that has to be informed
to the passengers well in advance.

10. Majority of the passengers has a very bad perception on the cleanliness of the train which has
to be maintained considering the hygiene factors.

11. First aid service must be made available in all compartments.

12. Waste disposal facilities have to be improved.

13. Suitable measures have to be taken to enhance the quality of food items sold in the pantry car
and at refreshment stalls on platforms.

14. Fire extinguishers must be provided in each compartment and the railway staff must be trained
to use them.

15. Safety of passenger9s belongings is highly essential, hence better protection can be provided
by the Ministry of Railway.

57
58
 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the project on analyzing customer satisfaction and behavior towards Indian
Railways has provided valuable insights into the perceptions and preferences of passengers.
Through data analysis and surveys, several key findings have emerged:

1. Customer Satisfaction Levels: Overall, the satisfaction levels among Indian Railways
passengers vary based on factors such as cleanliness, punctuality, ticketing processes,
onboard amenities, and staff behavior. Identifying areas where satisfaction is high and
where improvements are needed is crucial for enhancing the overall customer
experience.

2. Factors Influencing Satisfaction: The project has identified specific factors that
significantly impact passenger satisfaction. These may include the availability of clean
facilities, efficient complaint resolution mechanisms, reliable information dissemination,
and the quality of onboard services.

3. Behavioral Patterns: By analyzing passenger behavior, patterns such as booking

preferences, travel frequency, route preferences, and interaction with digital platforms
have been observed. Understanding these patterns can help Indian Railways tailor their
services to better meet the needs and expectations of passengers.

4. Opportunities for Improvement: The project has highlighted several opportunities for
Indian Railways to improve customer satisfaction and enhance the overall travel
experience. These may include investing in infrastructure upgrades, enhancing staff
training programs, streamlining ticketing processes, and leveraging technology for better
communication and service delivery.

5. Future Recommendations: Moving forward, it is recommended that Indian Railways

continue to prioritize customer satisfaction as a key aspect of their operations. This may
involve regular feedback collection, data-driven decision-making, proactive service
enhancements, and a customer-centric approach to service delivery.

Overall, by understanding customer satisfaction levels and behavioral patterns, Indian

Railways can make informed decisions to improve service quality, enhance passenger
experiences, and maintain their position as a preferred mode of transportation in India.

59
60
JOURNALS:

➢ The International Journal of Railway Technology (IJRT)

➢ A. Kalaiselvi, D. Sandhya, C.G Athira (2017): In their article studied passenger

satisfaction towards railway service in Coimbatore junction.

➢ J.Anuradha(2014); In her study titled “Passengers Satisfaction towards Railway

Service”

➢ Dr. Imamul, S.M, Haque (1989) “Management of Indian Railway”, published

by Mittal Publication House.

➢ Dr.N.Mahesh & K Mathankumar (2018) ‘A study of problems faced by the

Indian railways’

➢ Dr. Sudakshina Gupta “Indian Railways: A Few Aspects of Performance”,

Reader, Dept of Economics, Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidya
Bhavan.

➢ Khosla, (1988) “A History of Indian Railway, Ministry of Railways”, Railway

Board Publication, New Delhi.

➢ M.A Rao (1988) “Indian Railways”, National Book Trust, New Delhi.

➢ Nanda, R.R (1984) “Railway Accounts and Administration”, Bahri Brothers,

Delhi.

➢ Prof. Samiuddin (1987) “Economics of Indian Railways”. Aligarh Muslim

University Press, Aligarh.

➢ Thrimoorthy .K. (2001) ‘Consumer image of Indian railways’

➢ India Today, New Delhi.

➢ The Times of India

61
62
 Questionnaire

Name

Age (15-35)

1. How frequently do you travel by Indian Railways?

a. Frequently
b. Occasionally
c. Rarely
d. Never

2. On average, how many times a year do you use Indian Railways for travel?

a. 1-2 times
b. 3-5 times
c. 6-10 times
d. More than 10 times

3. What is your primary purpose for using Indian Railways?

a. Commuting to work/study
b. Leisure travel
c. Business travel
d. Others

4. How satisfied are you with the overall service provided by Indian Railways?

a. Very Satisfied
b. Satisfied
c. Neutral
d. Dissatisfied

63
5. Rate your satisfaction with the cleanliness of Indian Railways facilities?

a. Excellent
b. Good
c. Average
d. Very Poor

6. How satisfied are you with the punctuality of Indian Railways trains?

a. Excellent
b. Good
c. Average
d. Very Poor

7. Rate the quality of customer service provided by Indian Railways staff?

a. Excellent
b. Good
c. Average
d. Very Poor

8. How satisfied are you with the online booking process for Indian Railways?

a. Very Satisfied
b. Satisfied
c. Neutral
d. Dissatisfied

9. Rate the clarity of information provided during the booking process?

a. Excellent
b. Good
c. Average
d. Very Poor

64
10. Issues raised with ticket booking or information retrieval?

a. Server Down
b. Not receiving cancellation fee
c. Seat Theft
d. Others

11. Would you recommend Indian Railways to others based on your experiences?

a. Definitely
b. Probably
c. Not Sure
d. Definitely Not

12. How satisfied are you with the onboard amenities provided by Indian Railways (e.g.,
seating comfort, cleanliness of coaches, restrooms)?

a. Very Satisfied
b. Satisfied
c. Neutral
d. Dissatisfied

13. How secure do you feel during your train journeys in terms of personal safety and
belongings?

a. Very Secure
b. Secure
c. Neutral
d. Not Secure

14. How satisfied are you with the integration of technology in Indian Railways services
(e.g., online check-ins, mobile apps, Wi-Fi)?

a. Very Satisfied
b. Satisfied
c. Neutral
d. Dissatisfied

65
15. How satisfied are you with the communication of delays, disruptions, or other
important information during your train journeys?

a. Very Satisfied
b. Satisfied
c. Neutral
d. Dissatisfied

16. In your opinion, how effective is Indian Railways in handling and communicating
during unexpected situations (e.g., weather-related issues, technical problems)?

a. Very Effective
b. Effective
c. Neutral
d. Not Effective

17. How would you rate the affordability of Indian Railways tickets in comparison to other
modes of transportation?

a. Cheap
b. Affordable
c. Expensive
d. Very Expensive

18. How would you rate the accessibility of Indian Railways stations and trains for senior
citizens and individuals with mobility challenges?

a. Excellent
b. Good
c. Average
d. Very Poor

66