Journey towards world class stations: An assessment of platform amenities at allahabad junction

Abstract

Passengers spend considerable time on railway platforms using amenities thereon; thus, making their stay pleasurable would result in passenger satisfaction for a rail journey. The Ministry of Railways in India has initiated plans for developing stations of world-class standards by delivering state-of-the-art facilities and quality services at platforms. This paper is an attempt to assess levels of importance and satisfaction perceived by passengers with respect to amenities on platforms of Allahabad Junction in the State of Uttar Pradesh, India. A total of 32 platform amenities examined through a sample of 1,248 passengers were grouped under 7 factors using Exploratory Factor Analysis. A service quality performance matrix was prepared thereafter to identify amenities needing improvement, and a Customer Satisfaction Index was calculated to determine a priority order for improvement of these amenities. Security and cleanliness were revealed to be the aspects that need improvement. Findings of this study are expected to be useful for policymakers working on the concept of world-class stations.