NEW DELHI: Don’t be surprised if you find Maruti Suzuki launching a new car at the busy New Delhi railway station or McDonald’s introducing a new fast-food menu on a train. Indian Railways is all set to come out with a policy for product launches and promotional events at railway stations and on trains to increase its revenue.
The non-fare revenue directorate of the railways is finalising the policy after talks with industry bodies, event-management companies and other experts.
According to the railways, the policy would be a win-win one for both parties. While the companies involved would get a captive audience for a longer duration, the public sector behemoth would generate some extra revenue.
“As of now, the space at railway stations and on trains is used for advertising. What is being explored is promotion of products, events like book and movie launches, gaming contests, unveiling new cars and bikes and other consumer-centric products,” a source in the Railway Ministry said. “Companies will get an audience from almost all economic sections and for a longer duration,” the source added.
The policy will initially look at tariff rates for space at railway stations in metro cities.
Based on a third-party study, the railways is expected to earn `16,000 crore a year in non-fare revenue by 2020-21. This would be through digital display systems, offering space for ATMs, lending parking space to private taxis and selling data like passenger travel details, train timings and PNR details to companies.