The Aspiration for Happy Train Journey: Commuters’ Perception of the Quality of Intercity Rail Services

Abstract

This paper assesses the perception of intercity rail passengers on station facilities at Joydebpur Railway Station in Bangladesh. The ordinal logistic regression (OLR) tool was applied to analyze 1000 responses of rail passengers on 24 selected service and 5 demographic parameters. Critical consideration from the perspective of a developing country revealed six unique factors, namely Level crossing facility, Illegal establishments, Illegal shops, Floating people, Arrival performance, and Departure performance, which have never been explored in any previous studies. The regression analysis identified that 13 service quality factors significantly affected commuters’ satisfaction level, particularly the Food and drinks, Road connectivity, Sanitation, and Waiting room facility at the station. Among the five demographic factors, age, occupation, and travel frequency significantly influenced overall passenger satisfaction (OPS). The model results have also been validated through a second survey at Kamalapur Railway Station, Bangladesh. The results suggest that policymakers should focus on the elderly, financially solvent people, and frequent travelers. Additionally, refreshment facilities, road connectivity, sanitation, and waiting room facilities should be given priority, as these will heavily impact passenger satisfaction according to this study. Subsequent attributes can then be prioritized as per the attributes ranked and according to budget considerations of the authority.