Marketing strategies for freight traffic on Indian railways

Abstract

Indian Railways had lost its market share in high rated freight commodities especially cement, POL, and iron and steel. IR was missing an overall strategy for freight business, which was overcharged without sensitivity to competition. Over time, other transport modes, especially road and pipeline in the case of POL captured a very significant share of freight due to their faster and door-to-door deliveries. Several initiatives have been taken in the recent past to make IRs? Strategies market oriented like increased axle loading, better pricing strategy, and improved services. The above analysis has implications for leveraging the four Ps of marketing; product (service attributes), price, promotion, and place (logistics). This paper attempts to evolve marketing strategies for freight traffic, based on the OD market analysis specified above.