The Indian Railways has framed a ‘Rail Display Network’ (RDN) policy, which envisages setting up of display screens at railway stations on a public-private partnership model to mop up non-fare revenue.
“The proposed rail display network will enable real time flow of information to passengers and also unlock advertising potential, which will lead to increased non-fare revenue,” the Railway Board’s Policy on Rail Display Network, reviewed by The Hindu, stated.
The RDN screens will display information related to arrivals, departures, and running status of trains, including expected delays and other relevant information such as platform numbers, coach guidance, and ticket confirmation status, the document said.
They will also carry information related to passenger comfort and safety. However, half of the display space will be utilised for advertisements and social messages. “The licensee should allow free of cost dissemination of Railways and railway-approved information on RDN screens in terms of 50% time or space,” the policy said.
RailTel, a public sector unit owned by Indian Railways, will implement and manage RDN for 10 years, and share 65% of the revenue earned from the private sector with the Railway Ministry. RailTel will be responsible for project implementation. It will invite an open tender for selection of the “implementation partner.”
In phases
The RDN policy will be rolled out in phases, beginning with major railway stations such as Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Visakhapatnam, Patna, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Jaipur, among others.
A senior Railway Ministry official said that it will set up a steering committee at the Central and divisional level to ensure a smooth roll-out of the project. “This will include officials from commercial, electrical, and engineering departments. The committee will meet regularly to review the RDN project,” the official added.
The Indian Railways’ non-fare revenue jumped nearly 70% to Rs10,181 crore in 2016-17. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had earlier this year unveiled its first non-fare revenue policy. Mr. Prabhu had said in his 2016-17 Railway Budget speech that Railways earned less than five per cent of its revenues through non-tariff sources.
“In Japan, 25-30 per cent of the revenue comes from non-fare sources. We aim to reach that level in the next seven-eight years, and it will be a new revenue stream for the Railways,” he had said at a press conference in January.
