CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
HIstory
In the twenty-first century, the business environment conditions are likely to be
more volatile. The multi-dimensional developments in all spheres, especially in
the field of information technology is being activated and energized by the
developed countries. The organizations are betting heavily on these
developments, but they also need to know whether their services are progressing
or not. They need to know the feedback whether their customers are satisfied
with them and what the level of this satisfaction is.' Recent years have seen a
tremendous growth in the service sector. The rapid growth of service sectors all
over the world and the deregulation of many service industries have led
researchers with an interest in quality issues, to recognize the importance of
acquiring more understanding about service performance. A surge in the service
sector is increasing in the number of players operating and entering into the
service industry. Amidst the increasing cut throat competitive environment,
only those companies, who can provide better satisfaction to the customer,
maintain the quality of their services can survive and prosper. It is increasingly
being recognized that high quality service is essential for the firms which want
to be successfiil in their business.^ The customer alone can pass the final verdict
on the performance of a company and it is on him alone that the success of a
business depends. An understanding of customer satisfaction is therefore
becoming increasingly significant. In order to gain a competitive advantage,
organizations need to identify parameters that cause customer satisfaction or
dissatisfaction and consciously measure them. In general, customer satisfaction
is a feeling of satisfaction over a job well done in the past. Customer
satisfaction is the customer's perception that a vendor has met his expectations
fully, efficiently and promptly. Carrying an average of 13 million passengers in
8,250 passenger-trains daily, the Indian Railways is one of the world's largest
transporters of passenger traffic. Until now Indian Railways has enjoyed a near
monopoly position in the sphere of public transportation. But the situation is
undergoing a change. Already one can see some form of competition being
given by the low cost carriers. With the lowering of airfare and the introduction
of low cost airlines in the Indian skies there is a high possibility that Indian
Railways will lose some of its customers. At this stage what is required is a
proper understanding of the various factors that affect customer evaluation and
satisfaction with a public service like Indian Railways. For consumers,
evaluation and consequently the satisfaction wdth a service like railways often
depends on their perception of the quality of performance of a number of
factors. Knowledge and understanding of these factors is critical, particularly at
a time when competition for attracting and retaining customers is intense. The
purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the importance customers attach
to the various dimensions of Indian Railway services. The study also aims to
identify how customers' perception of performance of these dimensions affect
their satisfaction level with the services of Indian Railway as a whole in today's
competitive market scenario. For building and maintaining a healthy
relationship with the customer, organizations need to understand and meet the
expectations of its 2 customers. The organizations today should aim not only at
satisfying the customers but should also focus on delighting them. Thus it has
become imperative for organizations to identify parameters that cause customer
satisfaction or dissatisfaction and consciously measure them so as to try and
bring about the necessary changes on the basis of customer perceptions. ^
Service quality has been viewed as a determinant of customer satisfaction.
Different dimensions of service quality have been considered by various
researchers. This study identifies components of service quality of Indian
Railways particularly in Southern Railway. The study is exploratory in nature
and uses factor analysis to identify the most important factors of customer
satisfaction with service quality. The research methodology is empirical, and a
survey was conducted among passengers (customers). The findings reveal that
five factors are considered important for determining satisfaction with Southern
Railway services, the most important of which are refreshments and behavioural
factors. Satisfaction from service quality is usually evaluated in terms of
technical quality and functional quality. Usually, customers do not have much
information about the technical aspects of a service; therefore, functional
quality becomes the major factor from which to form perceptions of service
quality. Service quality may be defined as customer perception of how well a
service meets or exceeds their expectations. Service quality can be measured in
terms of customer perception, customer expectation, customer satisfaction, and
customer attitude. The evaluation of service quality leads to customer
satisfaction. Rust and Oliver (1994) define satisfaction as the ^^ customer
fulfilment response" which is an evaluation as well as an emotion-based
response to a service. This study is an attempt to put forth the role of service
quality in affecting customer satisfaction in the context of railway services with
special reference to Southern Railway. Indian Railway is the major mode of
transport in the coimtry for passengers as well as freight due to its large
network, number of trains, and affordability. On the industry front, it is the only
player; hence, a monopoly has been created (which is legal). On the market
front, majority of its customers are illiterate/semi educated and low/middle
income with no/low consciousness for quality aspects. According to the Census
/ Survey, in India, the effective literacy rate in India is 65.4 per cent, so about
one-third of the population is illiterate. As many as millions of persons live
below poverty line. Railways provide them with a convenient, accessible, and
affordable mode of transportation. The monopoly structure has created a typical
situation where the service provider (Indian Railways) has no competition and
can afford to ignore aspects such as quality of service, customer satisfaction,
and product promotion. The railway is the lifeline of Indian economy and
society, but it is far from healthy and satisfactory performance. The focus of this
study is to analyze the managerial aspects of services rather than to study the
technical and engineering aspects of the railway. For the purpose of analysis,
the services of Indian Railways can be divided into three broad categories:
ticketing, on-board services, and facilities at platforms. The improvements have
been effected by Indian Railway to minimize ticket dispensing time through
modernized passenger reservation systems using computers and the internet at a
large number of stations. Indian Railways is fast expanding the ticketing
network, targeting almost all stations. The Indian Railways, one of the largest
rail networks in the world (8,702 passenger trains ferrying around 500 crore
people annually) delivers customer satisfaction through its online ticket
reservation website. The website experiences a few million hits each day.
Online services offered include details of train schedules, fares, reservation
status, PNR enquiry and telephone enquiries. Passengers also want efficiency,
effectiveness, and politeness in service. Studies assert that railway enquiry
counters play a pivotal role in customer satisfaction, but railway enquiry service
is far from satisfactory in India.'* For determining quality space per passenger
(crowding), facilities for disabled persons (ramps etc.), facilities for evacuation,
security (including presence of law enforcement personnel, video cameras, and
emergency call boxes), visibility, lighting, and clarity of station layout and way-
finding are looked into in the railway stations. Scholars have undertaken studies
on various aspects of railway services. The heterogeneous service contexts are
taken for developing a soimd theoretical base for the present research and for
identifying major common attributes of service quality irrespective of the
context as well as within the context. Indian Railways Indian Railways is one of
the largest Railways in the world imder a single management. Introduced in
1853 the Railway network in India spread and expanded rapidly and has
become the principal mode of transport in the country. It has also absorbed
advances in Railway technology in tune with the requirement of moving 5 large
volumes of passenger and freight traffic. Railways being both a commercial
enterprise and a public utility are also required to discharge myriad of social
obligations. Indian Railway is a department of Government and the Ministry of
Railways functions under the guidelines of Minister for Railways assisted by
two Minister of State for Railways. The policy formation and management of
Indian Railways comprises of Chairman and six functional members. Wide
powers are vested in the board to effectively supervise the running of 17 zonal
railways, production units, construction organization and other rail
establishments.^ Organizational Structure of Indian Railways & Railway Zones
over Indian Railway

HISTORY OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

The East India Railway was registered in the year 1848 and it opened the first
line of Railway between Bombay and Thane in 1853. This early development
was purely due to British influence and the various networks gradually extended
and increased in size. The Indian Railways in India provides the principal mode
of transportation for freight and passengers. It has been a component of the
social, political and economic life of the country. Indian Railways transportation
network has played a key role in weaving India into a nation. This network has
not only integrated markets but also people across the length and breadth of the
country. It has improved the economic life of the country and helped in
accelerating the industry and agriculture. The main objectives of railways have
been to develop the transport infrastructure to carry the projected quantum of
traffic and meet the developmental needs of the economy with efficient railway
transport system since the inception of the planned era in 1950-51. Indian
Railways has implemented ten five-year plans, apart from the annual plans in
some years. Besides the general objectives each plan had a special objective as
given below:
1) First Five Year Plan---Rehabilitation and replacement of over-aged assets
due to Second World War and the partition of the country.
2) Second Five Pear Plan---Particular emphasis to prepare railways for carrying
the traffic generated steam plants and the increased production of coal.
3. Third Five Year Plan---Building up additional capacity so as to be ahead of
the traffic demand and to prevent bottlenecks.
4) Fourth Five Year Plan---Modernization of the system to improve efficiency
of operations.
5) Fifth Five Year Plan---Improvement of existing capacity more than the
extension of railway system and to maximize operational efficiency in the
railways.
6) Sixth Five Year Plan---Better utilization of the existing assets, modernization
of equipment and increase local production of critical items.
7) Seventh Five Year Plan---High priority to the development of freight
terminals to facilitate the free and smooth movement of wagons; accelerate the
conversion of steam locomotives to diesel and electric traction.
8) Eighth Five Year Plan---The thrust areas identified for this plan included
replacement and renewal of over-aged assets; augmentation of terminal and
rolling stock capacities; gauge conversion and electrification.
9) Ninth Five Year Plan---The main thrust was on capacity generation besides
rehabilitation, manpower planning and human resources development, energy
conservation safety, financial viability and consumer’s satisfaction through
reliable and better quality of services

INTRODUCTION
‘Indian Railways’(IR) has a vast network, the second largest in the world under
a single management, with 65,000 route kilometres of track and employing 1.39
million workforce as on 31.3.2010. It carried 887.79 million tonnes of freight
and 7246 million passengers during the year 2010. Indian Railways is the
largest transport system in Asia and the fourth largest transport system in the
world. It runs 19,000 trains daily of which 10,000 are passengers trains,
operates over 8000 stations, covering a distance of 12.5 lakh kms every day.
More than 20.9 million passengers board the trains and about 18 lakh tonnes of
freight are carried daily. It has a fleet of over 7800 Locomotives of which are
diesel 4170, electric 2120 and wagons 3,13,000 and passenger coaches 36000.
The total investment in the railways exceeds Rs.25,000 crores as on date. The
Indian Railways has completed more than 150 years of useful service to the
nation. Indian Railway’s products and expertise have world market, extending
their overseas operations extensively to about 20 countries in Africa, Middle
East, South Asia and Latin America. Before 1947, 42 Railway Companies
operated in the country. ‘Indian Railways’ is now entirely owned and operated
by Government of India throughout the country. The policy decisions are taken
by the Railway Board comprising the Railway Minister, Government Officials,
Railway Officials and the representatives of Labour Unions. The mega cities in
India like Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras) and Calcutta have a large
suburban network and it also forms part of the general railway operations of the
respective zone. These suburban rails account for about 60 per cent of the total
number of passengers on the railways. Very recently a separate corporation was
formed to take care of the transportation needs of the Mumbai mega city.
Mumbai suburban rail is one of the biggest systems in the world carrying nearly
2 billion passengers and operating 47 billion passengers kms. annually. Mumbai
suburban rail fares are, however, one of the lowest in the world and its yield per
passenger kilometre fluctuates between 0.20 – 0.25 per cents only

Railway plans today are financed through three main sources:

(i) Internal resources,

(ii) Market borrowings and

(iii) Capital from the General Exchequer. During 1996-97 the composition of
such financing was 54 per cent, 28 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. The
capital receipts from the General Exchequer have declined from 51 per cent in
1986-87 to 18 per cent in 1996-97 while the level of market borrowings has
gone up from zero to 28 per cent over the same period. This situation is likely
to land Indian Railways in a debt-trap like most railway networks in developed
world. The Japanese and the German railways had to be bailed-out of Yen 28
trillion and Dutch Mark 67 billion of debt through State intervention recently

The Ministry of Railways has five undertakings under its administrative control.
They are

(i) Rail India Technical and Economic Services Limited;

(ii) Indian Railway Construction Limited;

(iii) Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited;

(iv) Container Corporation of India Limited; and

 (v) Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. Centre for Railway Information
System was set up as a registered Society to design and implement various
computerization projects.

All India Security Help Line : Short-Code Helpline No. 182 Registers more than
6000 complaints in the first year of inception

All India Railway Security Helpline toll free no. 1800-11-1322 was set up on
12th August-2014 monitoring by Railway Board and then short-code toll free no.
182 over Zonal railways in February-2015 working round the clock for security
related assistance to passengers. This Helpline system 182 has been made
functional through Divisional Security Control Rooms of RPF and many
complaints are being received regarding theft of passenger’s belongings, luggage
missing, unauthorized entry in disabled coaches, and nuisance by antisocial
elements, need of medical assistance etc.
Brief of performance of All India Security Help Line 182 During the Year 2015

During the calendar year 2015, a total 6118 complaints were attended to.
Out of 6118 complaints, 1691 complaints were dealt by RPF/GRP for taking
legal action regarding Theft of passengers’ belongings and various sections of
Railways Act. In 391 cases, Passengers were provided medical assistance.
In 363 complaints passengers were located, as their relatives informed about not
responding to their calls. In 749 numbers of complaints of luggage left behind,
belongings of passengers have been traced and handed over to the passengers and
in 911 numbers of complaints, nuisance mongers have been removed from
trains/railway premises. 810 numbers of complaints are such in which RPF
mediated to resolve the issue/problem. 308 numbers of complaints were found
fake and 895 complaints of passenger concerned amenities that were not
concerned with security. However they were attended and remedial measures
taken in coordination with concerned department of Railways.
Rescue of children by RPF under “Operation Smile-II”
The Ministry of Railways in collaboration with the Ministry of Women
and Child Development and National Commission on Protection of Child Rights,
issued Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) on 5.3.2015 for the better Care and
Protection of the Child in Contact with the Railways. The SOP at present is being
implemented at 20 nominated railway stations across the country (New Delhi,
Old Delhi Jn, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar Terminus, Mumbai Central, CST
Mumbai, Howrah, Sealdah, New Jalpaigudi, Ranchi, Chennai Central, Chennai
Egmore, Lucknow/NR, Lucknow/NER, Guwahati, Bangalore City, Patna,
Varanasi Cantt., Secunderabad, Nagpur).
The RPF has been at the forefront of rescue of children found lost/
abandoned/ abused/ trafficked/ destitute/ addicted to drugs, etc from railway
premises and trains. During the year 2015, 7044 children were rescued due to the
efforts of RPF personnel. The campaign called “Operation Smile-II” launched by
MHA from 1st January, to 31st January, 2016 was carried out by RPF as well.
During this period in January 2016, a total of 890 children were rescued by the
RPF from railway premises and trains. This has been achieved due to the
sensitization and training of RPF personnel on the field in concepts of child rights
and due to implementation of the SOP dated 05.03.2015.
Special Emphasis on security of women passenger in Indian Railways
Policing on Railways is a State Subject and the prevention of crime,
registration of cases, their investigation and maintenance of law and order in
Railway premises as well as on running trains are, therefore, the statutory
responsibility of the State Governments, which they discharge through
Government Railway Police (GRP) of the States concerned. Basically entrusted
with the duties of protecting and safeguarding Railway Property, removing
obstructions in the movement of railway property, with the passage of the years
since 1966 and amendments thereafter, the RPF had been authorised the powers
of arrest, investigation and search as well as prosecution of offenders involved in
crimes on board and at stations. However, cases of crime on Railways are
reported to, registered and investigated by the Govt. Railway Police. Railway
Protection Force (RPF) supplements the efforts of GRP by deploying their staff
for escorting of important trains in affected areas and access control duties at
important and sensitive stations. Regular co-ordination is being maintained with
the State Governments concerned and intelligence inputs are shared with
Intelligence Bureau, Government Railway Police/ Local Police from time to time.
Various effective measures to prevent crime against women passengers
including suburban trains are being taken in coordination with the concerned
Government Railway Police in zonal railways based on the crime situation.
1. An Integrated Security System consisting of electronic surveillance of
vulnerable stations through Close Circuit Television Camera Network, access
control, Anti-sabotage checks has been finalized to strengthen surveillance
mechanism over 202 sensitive railway stations.
2. On vulnerable and identified routes/ sections, 1600 trains (on an
average) are escorted by Railway Protection Force daily, in addition to 2200
trains escorted by Government Railway Police of different States daily.
3. All the ladies special trains running Metropolitan cities are being
escorted by lady RPF constable.
4. The ladies compartments in local trains are being escorted by RPF and
GRP during peak/non peak hours. Staff deployment is made during late night
and early morning local trains to ensure proper security to the lady passengers.
5. Joint drives by RPF/GRP and Commercial Department are conducted
from time to time against the unauthorized entry of passengers in trains and
railway premises.
6. Passenger awareness programmes are being launched by announcement
through loudhailers / PA system as well as pasting of stickers providing the
Security Help Line Numbers of RPF Security Control Rooms for reporting the
untoward incidents of crime and sexual harassment so that immediate action
can be taken against miscreants.
7. Mass media programmes are being launched by zonal railways to create
awareness regarding crime against women passengers amongst general public
through electronic and print media.
8. RPF holds regular coordination meetings with State Police at all levels
to ensure proper registration and investigation of crime by Government
Railway Police. RPF Crime prevention and detection squads and special teams
are formed to keep vigil on the criminals in trains/ stations to prevent crime.
9. Whistle Alert Scheme has been introduced in Mumbai and, Jammu and
is being extended to all Zones especially for their local/ passenger trains.
Under this scheme the ladies are blowing whistles as alerts on which RPF/
GRP is responding for their help in times of crisis.
10. During the year 2015, a total of 1,26,938 male persons were prosecuted for
travelling in the ladies compartment by the RPF under the provisions of section
162 of Railways Act.
11. The increasing use of technology by RPF to ensure safety and security of
Railway passengers is evident in the launching of Security Apps on mobile
phones of Railway passengers, especially women, which alerts RPF. This
Security App has been initiated in Central Railways (M-Indicator), South Central
Railway (RISSTA), Eastern Railway (R-Mitra) and South Western Railway
(SWR Security App), Western Railway(RPF Sakhi). Efforts are being made to
standardise common App on an All India basis and DIG/ Project is working on
the subject.
12. Under the Nirbhaya fund scheme, installation of CCTVs in approximately 1000
railway stations other than those covered under the ISS has been proposed 50
stations has been taken up as pilot project.

Escorting of Trains by RPF:

In order to Control crime in running trains and to ensure security of
passengers, especially that of the vulnerable group such as women, elderly,
children etc, the Railway Protection Force has enhanced the number of trains
escorted from 1200 to 2400 (approx) daily.

Performance of RPF under Railways Act during 2015:

With a view to ensure crime free environment and hassle free journey for
the passengers on Indian Railways, the Railway Protection Force has relentlessly
played a proactive role against the anti-social elements
and apprehended/prosecuted 2132332 (Twenty one Lacs thirty two thousand
three hundred and thirty two) offenders under various provisions of the Railways
Act. Out of the above, a total of 2047275 (Twenty Lacs forty seven thousand two
hundred and seventy five) were convicted and an amount of Rs. 612595652 (
Sixty one crores twenty five Lacs ninety five thousand six hundred and fifty two)
has been realized from them as fine.
Future Initiatives:
· To further strengthen Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF), three
new battalions are in the process of being set up at Udhampur J&K
(N.Rly), Cooch Behar, West Bengal (NFR) & Asansol, (Mahila Battalion)
West Bengal (E.Rly).

· It is proposed to set up a World Class Training Academy for providing

training to the RPF officers and for conducting specialized courses to
develop their skills for facing new challenges and acting as a model
Academy for improvement of training environment at Zonal RPF Training
Centers.

· Effective training for enabling men and officers in using modern

gadgets like CCTV, X-Ray Baggage Scanning Machine etc. efficiently.
Facility for such training is proposed to be provided at all RPF Training
centers including JR RPF Academy, Lucknow.
 · There is a proposal for setting up a Commando Training facility at RPF
Training Centre, Chink Hill, Central Railway for which necessary action
is being taken for its upgradation in infrastructure and training facilities.

· Strengthening of Dog Training Cum Breeding Centre at Southern

Railway and Northern Railway is being done to revamp the dog squad with
more numbers and upgradation of skills to meet the challenges at hand. A
separate cadre for Dog Squad is being processed for increasing the
efficiency of the Dog Squad.

· Training in soft and behavioural skills, human rights & gender

sensitization is being imparted to RPF staff for better RPF-Passenger-
Public interface.

Advantages of Railway Transport:

The following are the main advantages of Railway Transport:

9. Employment:
Railways are an important source of employment in India. Lakhs of skilled and
unskilled people are employed in operating the railway. It also creates many
opportunities of employment

2. Encouragement to Tourism:
The connectivity of Railways to various tourist spots gives encouragement to
tourism. Railways sell circular tickets to the tourists to -remote tourism.

3. Helpful during Calamities:

During natural calamities railways help the stranded persons to reach their
destinations and these are helpful during famines by carrying food grains from
surplus to affected areas.

4. Social Importance:
Railways here tied the people in on string. They have shortened the distance and
developed the outlook of people.

5. Strategic Importance:
These are useful for internal security of country and also carry the defence
material to various locations during external threat.

6. Help in Internal Trade:

By connecting various areas of the country railways have made internal trade
convenient. They carry goods and passengers to various places easily.

7. Development of Agriculture:
Railways have commercialised agriculture. Now farmers do not produce for self
consumption only but also for sale in the market.

8. Growth of Markets:
Railways have increased the size of markets. Bulky goods can easily be
transported by Railways.

9. Mobility of Labour and Capital:

Railways have increased the mobility of labour and capital which has
contributed to the rapid industrialisation of the country

Disadvantages of Railway:

The following are the disadvantages of Railways

1. Railway Accidents:
The incidence of railway accidents in our country is greater as compared to
other countries of the world. Accident occurs due to the errors and negligence of
the employees.

2. Attack on Railways:
The Indian Railways had to suffer a heavy loss of crores of rupees. The railways
are attacked during the time of disturbances and violences that arise in any part
of the country.

3. Outdated Technology:
The technology used in railways is quite outdated. It needs to be modernised.

4. Problem of Replacement:
Railway Engines, wagons and other equipment’s are quite old and these require
replacement. It is a huge expenditure.

5. Problem of laying Double Line:

Most of the railway lines are single lines. It creates great inconvenience to
railway organisation and passengers.

6. Travel without Tickets:

In India large number of passengers travel without tickets. Indian railways have
to bear extra loss of about 5 crore every year on account of travelling without
tickets.

7. Not Door to Door Service:

Railways do not provide door to door service like road transport.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The present study has considered the views of the previous literature
related to the research topic. In this respect, a few notable past studies relating
to Indian Railways are focused on as they throw light on the initiatives to be
introduced in the future.

1. Allen and DiCesare (1976) in their study “Transit Service Evaluation:

Preliminary Identification Variables Characterizing Level of Service”
have considered that quality of service for the Public transport industry
contained two categories: user and non-user. The user category consists
of speed, reliability, comfort, convenience, safety, special services and
innovations. The non-user category is composed of system efficiency,
pollution and demand.

2. Silcock D.T (1981) in his study “Measures of Operational performance

for Urban Bus Services” has conceptualized service quality for public
transport industry as the measures of accessibility, reliability, comfort,
convenience and safety.
3. T.R.Shanmugam (1987) in his study titled, “Marketing of Railway
Services-A study of Passenger and Goods Traffic in Madurai” has
highlighted some aspects relating to the marketing of railway services in
Madurai and the behaviour of passengers and users of goods traffic
toward rail transport.

4. Parasuraman.A, V.A. Zeithamal and L.L.Berry (1988) in their study,

“SERVQUAL: A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Customer
Perception of Service Quality” have identified five determinants:
reliability, assurance, tangible, empathy and responsiveness (RATER).

5. Promila Sharma and Harpreet Duggal (1989), in their article titled

“Grievance Redressal in Indian Railways” have reported that most of the
passengers were dissatisfied with the railway service on different fronts
namely catering, cleanliness and enquiry services. Most of the
complainants did not use the redressal service provided by the Railway
department because they did not expect any concrete action from
Railways

6. G. Jeganthan (2002) in his study “Commuters of Railways –An Attitude

Study with Special Reference to Thirunelveli-Nagercoil Section” has
found that if season ticket fares are reduced for long distance travel, it is
an added attraction to the commuters.

7. Pollitt and Smith (2002) in their study “The Restructuring and

Privatization of British Rail: Was it Really that bad?” have reported that
more recently, output quality measures that have been used for the rail
system in Britain include train performance (delays per passenger train),
train overcrowding, asset condition (broken rails per train mile), and
safety or accident risk (signals passed at danger per train mile).
 8. M.V. Rama Prasad (2002)in his article entitled, “A Study on Passenger
Amenities in Railways” has found that more general compartments will
be required for short distance travellers and it has been found that most of
the passengers are not happy

NEED FOR THE STUDY:

This study helps to know what are the Government initiative taken for Indian
Railways And how passengers are feeling themselves safe and protected for the
whole day. Study is to improve the satisfaction level of the passenger sanitised
for awareness This and positive attitude.

STATEMENT OF THEPROBLEM:
The Railways has been the prime movers to the nation and have the distinction
of being One of the largest railways the world underasingle management
Someof the problemsfaced by the passengers are Theft, unauthorized entry in
there served compartments, long queue in the reservation counters,less number
of booking counters, slow issue of tickets in the counters, heavy crowd in the
platforms.
 Chapter 2
Research methodology
 RESEARCH DESIGN

A research design is an arrangement of condition for collection and

analysis of the data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the
research purpose with economy in procedure.

The study is descriptive in nature i.e., descriptive research. Descriptive

research is concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual
or group. This includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The
main characteristic of this method is that the researcher has no control over the
variables; one can only report what has happened or what is happening. Thus, the
research design in case of descriptive study is a comparative design throwing light
on all the areas and must be prepared keeping the objectives of the study and the
resources available. This study involves collection of data from Junior level
Executives.

Primary data:

These are those which are collected a fresh (again but in a new
or different way) and for the first time and thus happen to be
original in character and known as Primary data.

It is based on primary source of information.

Secondary data :
It means that are already available that is they refer to the data,
which have already been collected and analyzed by someone
else for its own use and later the same data is used by a different
user or person.
It is based on secondary source of information
OBJECTIVESOFTHESTUDY:
To study the facilities available to the passengers on Indian Railway.
To learn the initiatives taken by Government to develop Railway Industry.
To study pitfalls faced by Indian Railways.
To provide suggestions on Anti social elements implemented to be
introduced.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
Sources of Data.
Primary Data.
The data collected through interview &Questionnaire.

Secondary Data.
The data collected through Journals Books reference & articles.

SCOPEOFTHESTUDY:
This project examine on how government isserious on customer safetyness.

The Railway is one of the biggest transporters of passengers traffic the

world.
The Anti-Social element has been implemented to safe guard the passengers.
Therailwaywhotravelintherailwayposttocreateawarenessonanti-social
Policy introduced by the government

LIMITATIONSOFTHESTUDY:
Lack of time limitation i.e. couldn’t do in depth study due to less of time.
Passengers response may not be accurate.
PLANOFANALYSIS:
Review of literature
Collection of data
Analysis of data
Interpretation of data
 CHAPTER 3
SWOT ANALYSIS
SWOT Analysis

When we use SWOT analysis, Its often for strategic planning. It prepares for
decisions and gives an overall look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats of business. But SWOT analysis can also be used to increase and
build upon customer satisfaction.

To give a well-rounded overview of how to use SWOT analysis for a boost in

customer satisfaction, we’ll start with the Strengths and Weaknesses first.

SWOT analysis, for any who may be unfamiliar, is a planning method

typically used in business strategy to identify
the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats that may face a business
or project.
A number of us have likely had the opportunity to either observe or participate
in this exercise for the broader business in which we work. A quick overview
of the core concepts:

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths and weaknesses internal to the organization. Strengths represent

positive attributes or characteristics, factors that provide an
advantage. Weaknesses are attributes or characteristics that place the business
at a disadvantage relative to others.

Opportunities and threats

Opportunities and threats are external to the organization. Opportunities

represent external trends and chances to improve performance – something
happening in the outside environment that presents positive potential. Threats
are elements or trends in the outside environment that could cause trouble for
the business, place it at risk.

Strengths

1. Indian Railways is owned by tlie Government of India.

2. It derives a lot of strength from the Central Government.
3. It has a history of more than 150 years of service to the nation.

4 .The Railways have a strong organisational structure as well as a culture of its

own.
5. It employs about 1.5 million people and is the largest employer in the
country.

6.The Railways are an essential part of the economic infrastructure of the

country and have come up to face the challenges posed before it from time to
time. There are no privately owned railways in India.
7. Thus Indian Railways owns all the railway tracks in the country.
 8. The Railways have a separate budget which is presented to the Parliament
every year.
9. An independent budget gives it the required flexibility in financing Its
projects through its earnings. Railways are, particularly, suitable and
economical for carrying passenger and freight traffic over long leads.
10. The passenger fares are lower than the same on any other railway system in
the world. The railways are, particularly, suitable for the mass transportation of
passengers and goods.
11. The railways are about 4 to 6 times more energy efficient than the
Roadways.
12. The railways are environment friendly. Movement by rail causes much less
pollution than the same caused by road movement.
13. Indian Railways is a vehicle for socio-economic development of the
country.

Weaknesses

1. Though the Railways is a large organisation, its size makes the organisation
bureaucratic, causing delays in the decision making process

2. The reliability of service provided by the Railways is not as good as that of

the roadways.

3. The speed of transit for cement consignments is not as good as that of the
roadways.

4. Passenger sector is loss making

 5. Accidents and delays cause a dent to the image

6. Facilities not comparable to international standards still

Opportrunities
Following are the Opportunities in Indian Railways SWOT Analysis:

1.It can capture large chunk of container traffic by introducing block container
trains operating at passenger speeds

2.It’s 70% of revenue and most of its profits comes from freight sector and there
is a tremendous growth in emerging companies, hence has a great future for
freight sector

3.Operating ratio has been decreasing drastically in last 10 years

THREATS

The threats in the SWOT Analysis of Indian Railways are as mentioned:

1.Increase in allowable gross weight of road vehicles

2.Possible introduction of double road trailers

3.High accident rates

 CHAPTER 4
OUTCOME OF THE STUDY
OUTCOME OF THE STUDY

1. “For anti social development, economy is one of the essential part but not
sufficient condition. The strategies framed for the development process should
focus on society not on the economies.
2. Development should be human-centred and broad-based, effecting equal
opportunities for all to participate fully and freely in economic, social, cultural
and political activities
3. People are the ends and not the means of economic progress and
development.
4. Economic growth should sub serve the cause of social development and
ensure that development has a human face.
5. Social development and economic progress are mutually reinforcing –social
development helps reduce economic inequalities and bolsters economic growth,
and equitable growth creates jobs and reduces poverty
6. The problems faced by the Railway passenger were 60% of people are there
7. The majority of the people tells there is no actions against the anti social
activities in railway department

8. The majors anti social problem faced by the passengers in relation with
reservation and booking counters is the undue influence of agents. It is
found that two variables of purpose of the journey and un journey

9. The study concludes that there is no significant relationship between

purpose of the journey and awareness and anti social problems related to
enquiry
 10.The major 70% problem faced by the passengers in relation to
compartments is lack of security.

11. It is found that the main problem related to waiting and retiring rooms is
misuse of co-passengers.

12. The passengers of super fast and special trains are more satisfied with anti
social element than those of other groups
 CHAPTER 5
LEARNING EXPERIENCE SUGGESTION CONCLUSION AND
BIBILIOGRAPHY
LEARNING EXPERIENCE

This project gave me great opportunity to learn about the all aspects of the

ANTI SOCIAL ELEMENT OF RAILWAY DEPARTMENT And helped me to

know about current situation of the RAILWAYS

The learning experience gained by me during the in plant training

was very much practical oriented. Mostly all the concepts which I studied
in the class, are applicable practically
I gained many new management skills and also got a chance to learn new things
on my own experience.
The overall study of the organization

1. Improve skills

One of the most important things you can gain from

internship is new knowledge and network and it helps to improve
many new skills and knowledge

2. Professional communications

It is the best way to learn how to

navigate the working world through real-life hands on experience
one of the most valuable skill you will gain from an internship is
the ability to speak with people in a professionals
 3. Making connections

The people who will be reference in the

future it will setup many new connections and build the
strong relationship

4. Independence

Internship will teach you to make your own

decision and do things on your own being able to work
independently with little guidence is very important in the
working world

I came to know what exactly needs wheather quality of work or quality of work
to be done or both. And also some extent I could understand the RAAILWAY
DEPARTMENT work culture. Uniformity which is a essential element that
management should maintain it will also create an impression on the minds of
another about their taste, preference, values .I had a great time working on the
project, as it given insights into the working environment of an organization. The
environment is good. I have learn lot of thing there.

This project gave me a great learning experience and at the same time it gave me
enough scope to implement my educational ability. The information advice
presented in this project is based on secondary information.
SUGGESTIONS
On the basis of the information obtained from the Passengers, some
salutary suggestions are made by the researcher for enhancing better customer
service and more efficient functioning of the Indian Railways.

1. Every day in the passenger train a sizable number of students are

travelling as commuters. If a separate compartment is provided for
them, it will be more beneficial to them.

2. Some of the respondents had problems regarding the railway

activities. They did not care to complain about them, because they felt
that it would be futile. If the complaints are registered through
computers, it will be quickly disposed of. So installing of
computerized grievance system in all stations is badly needed.

3. The purpose of demarcation line drawn on the platform is not known

to many people. Public announcement about the yellow line drawn on
the platform should be made compulsory to avoid the inconveniences
caused by the fellow passengers and visitors of the passengers.

4. Passengers prefer advertisement for knowing the new concessions

introduced by the railway authorities every year. It is suggested that
campaign about current concession can be made on a non-stop basis in
popular dailies.

5. Respondents lamented that the safety journey in train is questionable.

So the authorities concerned should do whatever is requested to ensure
safety travel and also take up the matter of increasing the insurance
cover.
6. Extra booking counters during rush and peak hours are required and
particularly during vacations and festival days.

7. In big cities separate counters for ladies are arranged. The study area
Madurai Division receives lots of people in a day both for buying
reserved tickets and unreserved tickets. It is suggested that at least
during the peak hours one counter may be allotted for ladies in
Madurai Division.

8. It is noted that Self-Printing Ticket Machine has been already

introduced in Indian Railways. But important stations in North eastern
railway have been equipped with this facility. If it is introduced in the
important stations of the study area, passengers can get rid of the
problem in getting manual journey tickets.

9. Passengers inside the train compartments need information of arrival

time and station inside the train compartments on the electronic
screen. This will help the passenger to plan for alighting at the
destination before hand.

10. Of late, people who intend to make long distance travel prefer to travel
only in train. If bathing facility is provided in all express trains,
passengers would be more satisfied.
CONCLUSION
Customer care means a customer should get a feeling that he/she is being taken
care of apart from normal service for which he has paid the charges. It does not
mean a mere transport of passenger or goods from one place to another by
Railways, but also needs to involve an extra care and concern. The researcher
strongly believes that if all the suggestions offered are carried out, the Indian
Railways may become an effective instrument of development for the economic
welfare of the country. To improve the customer care in Railways, the role of
user public and their co-operation play a vital role.
The image of Railways depends on its personality, perceptions of the
passengers and the quality of the products or services offered. There are certain
aspects towards which the respondents have positive feelings and there are
others towards which the respondents have negative feelings. So it is very
difficult to say in a single word as to state whether the Indian Railways has
positive or negative images. But it is understood from the evaluation of the
passengers that the negative aspects need the attention of the Indian railways
 BIBILIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

1. ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF RAILWAY

2. Railway department anti social behavior order

NEWSPAPER

1. THE INDIAN EXPRESS

2. THE HINDU

INTERNET

1. WWW.MINISTRYOFRAILWAYDEPARTMENT.COM
2. WWW.ANTIELEMENTSOFRAIWAY.COM
3. WWW.ANTISOCIALIMPLEMENTATIONOFRAILWAY.COM