Will Rail Ministry's digitalisation drive open up more digital media opportunities?

Delivering the inaugural address through video-conferencing of the 24th CII National Quality Summit, organised by the CII Institute of Quality, themed ‘The Digital Transformation of Business – Implications for Quality’, in Bengaluru on November 23, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu said that all Railways operations are being moved towards digital. “We have developed several elements of change in the way the Railways functions to keep up with the evolving technology. We have put in place a customer complaint redressal mechanism which is completely transformative in nature. Another important area of work in progress is setting up of a public Wi-Fi which will be the largest in the world. The customer will benefit from improvements in quality.”

The minister’s thrust on digitalisation to enhance service delivery to customers and passengers is perhaps another catalyst for the promotion of digital advertising on Railways properties and premises. The thrust on digitalisation also ties in with the Indian Railways’ plan to trains and railway stations in India may become infotainment hubs. The Indian Railways is make train stations and trains infotainment hubs that offer offline content on demand – such as television serials, movies, short videos, kids’ shows and sports, songs and devotional content – apart from providing a rail radio service to its passengers.

The moot point is, how soon these initiatives will open up sustainable investment opportunities in the DOOH space?