Ways to Generate Railway Revenue

The largest Indian Railways network and the largest number of passengers and travelers throughout the country offers an excellent opportunity for generating Revenues from many ideas many folds.

A- Revenue by selling Advertising space for Marketing Promotions at platforms and inside the trains.

B- Revenue by selling KIOSKS at platforms for Marketing promotions on weekly, monthly contracts.

C- Revenue through Special Visual Displays, Electronic Boards, Poster frames. TV Monitors like on the airports.

D- Revenue by offering Free product sampling on the trains for Marketers of the products.

E- At Stations, CCD like Coffee and snack shops

F- Modern internet Booths for travelers to use at stations for those business houses who want to set up the internet surfing stations.

G- At select Railway stations in the metros, Stalls can be given on rentals to Women organizations to sell Ready to cook well cut, cleaned, and packed fresh vegetables.

H- Stalls where good quality home made cooked food prepared by women associations which can provide jobs to women and offer ready made food such as Rotis, Rice, Dal, veges to office going working ladies, bachelors while returning home or for their lunch time.

These stalls at select major stations will help women, bleachers, singles to buy their daily meals or snacks on the way at the stations from where they catch trains or where they alight. This can generate employment for women who are looking for jobs to add some income to household and improve their living standards.

If this is tied up with proper planning and integrated strategy, even the farmer community can reach the end consumers easily to sell their fresh produce of veges, fruits at stations daily. And the regular commuters, office goers of the metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi can enjoy "Cash N Carry" concept for their shopping at stations without wasting their time.

I- Railways can also sell space to 24 X 7 Super Markets, at the stations where heavy movement of travelers is recorded.

J- Inside the trains... Advertising space can be sold for display of "Posters" in a proper Frame on contract basis.

K- Train´s One corner of the Boggy can be renovated for Displays of products and can be called "Mobile Shopee" on the trains where Branded Biscuits, Chocolates, Soft Drinks, Sandwiches, Children toys, can be sold by the valued Brands by hiring the space on Rental.

L- Railway can also charge a fee to companies who wish to promote their products to passengers traveling on the train through Sales Promotional activities throughout the journey.

The products which can be only promoted and not sold on the trains can be of wider range such as

1- Insurance and Accident policies,
2- Banking products such as credit cards,
3- Housing Projects
4- Information about Travel and Tourism, Ticketing, Tour packages, International Air Travel and tours.
5- State governments can distribute colorful information about their tourist attractions in their respective states to passengers who are traveling. This can help promote tourism in India in every state.
6- Computer accessories and hardware, software product promotions
7- Promotion of Latest Mobile phone models
8- States can promote their own cottage industry products.
9- Ayurveda Products can be introduced , promoted with detail information by manufacturers.
10- All Branded Products can be introduced by distributing "Flyers, Leaflets, Brochures of the companies at a fee to reach the consumers.

And finally.. Railway can Publish its own colorful, A4 size, Monthly Magazine and a Weekly Tabloid News Paper with lot of information about Indian Railways, and Sell advertising space to advertisers exactly like Flight Magazines.

This can generate ad revenue for the Railways and the ready captive travelers who want to pass time on their long distance journey is a readership in millions available to Marketers who wish to spend their advertising budgets in the right place to reach their target groups.

11- And... finally I suggest E -Tickets of the long journey are printed like Bank Cheque format, And Railway sells advertising Panels in horizontal format on the E-Ticket to Marketers for their product and services promotions.

These all the concepts will generate tons of Revenue.

12- Railway can have Hotels with Rooms to stay at the stations and offer A- Class, B-Class AC Non AC accommodations for many company executives who keep traveling frequently on official Business tours for whom Railway stations are very convenient locations for commuting.

I strongly believe, Indian Railways offer tons of scope for Revenue generation by many innovative ideas by providing professional services and valued captive spaces available with them.

Companies are always looking for New ways new media to reach their target audience precisely, economically for wider exposure to sell their products and services.

Millions and millions traveling everyday on Indian Railways offer them the best advertising and promotion opportunity to reach their defined target groups. more