Abstract

The main objective of this study is to present a framework developed for assisting Railways to monitor and
control the quality of services provided to passengers. The study evaluated the passenger Rail Service quality of
Indian Railways by developing SQM (Service Quality Management) model on the basis of SERVQUAL and
Rail Transport quality. Three new dimensions (Service Product, Social Responsibility and service delivery) are
added to the original five SERVQUAL dimensions (i.e. assurance, empathy, reliability, responsiveness and
tangibles). The instrument is tested for reliability and validity. Empirical study was conducted at Secunderabad
Railway station of South Central Railway, India, using a purposive sample of 200 respondents. Valid responses
from the questionnaire are statistically analyzed by using factor analysis. This research has also identified the
order of importance for these eight factors, for example service delivery and social responsibility are identified
as the most important and the least important factors respectively. This study would help the Railways to monitor,
control and improve the service.

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