Quality of logistics service assessment for multinational railway transportation: results from an empirical study

PurposeThe study focused on logistics service quality (LSQ) for multinational railway transportation. It mainly explores factors affecting LSQ and proposes strategies for multinational railways, addressing challenges posed by diverse cultures, priorities and values compared to national railways.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the mixed methods research design to collect practitioners’ perspectives. The study used a semi-structured questionnaire to collect 198 respondents’ perceptions on the questions assessing LSQ for multinational railway transportation. The study focused on the railway sector. The software programs SPSS® version 21.0 and AMOS version 21.0 were used to perform descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, respectively.FindingsThe quality of railway logistics service is crucial for economic development, with factors such as management, customer care, time, infrastructure and budget allocation affecting the service. To improve LSQ, government support, proper maintenance, committed management, improved technology and effective customer support are recommended. The study also highlights the need for railway transportation policy reforms and increased subsidies for railway transportation to improve profitability and customer satisfaction. Railway companies should adopt automated systems for efficient communication and reduce customer complaints, modernise workshops, reinstate dysfunctional machines for easy maintenance and prioritise employee training and motivation for better results and logistics services. The study recommends paying attention to both freight and passenger factors.Research limitations/implicationsThe study utilised the mixed methods research design, focusing on data collected from railway companies, passengers and freight transporters and highlighting findings specific to the country’s geographical location and railway industry nature.Originality/valueRailway companies face poor quality rankings in most developing countries, as traced in research on railway logistics. This thus drove the need to assess factors affecting LSQ and proposes strategies for multinational railway transportation.