Very soon, you may find your local railway station prefixed or suffixed with the name of a reputable business house. The Railway Board has permitted co-branding, station branding, or semi-naming rights of railway stations in order to generate non-fare revenue. As a result, names of government and reputable business houses’ brands or logos can now be prefixed or suffixed with the names of railway stations, according to railway officials.
However, the official letter clarifies that such an activity is a form of advertisement only and would not result in the change of the name of the railway station, as per a report in Hindustan Times. The prefix or suffix of the brand name or logo to the name of the railway station shall not exceed two words, according to a letter from the Railway Board dated March 2, sent to general managers of all railway zones across the country, including the Prayagraj-based North Central Railway (NCR).
According to Shivam Sharma, Chief public relation officer (CPRO), North Central Railways, ”This provision is to ensure that Indian Railways’ image, as well as aesthetics, are given due regard and the tenure of the co-branding license shall be for a minimum period of one year, up to three years.” To retain the prominence of the station name and IR’s emblem, the board has stated that the prefix-suffix should be in a different typeface or colour and smaller in size than the station name and IR’s logo. Its appearance cannot be the same as the name of the station or the Indian Railway logo.
The contract for railway station co-branding will be given through an open online procurement process (ireps.gov.in) for a duration of one to three years. The letter further states that caution should be exercised to ensure that prefixing or suffixing does not obstruct the clear visibility of station names, which is critical for train operations. Political parties, religious institutions or organisations, and individual personalities will not be allowed to brand themselves in this scheme.
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