Realizing the Benefits of Tanzania’s Standard Gauge Railway Flagship Project. A Marketing Mix Perspective

Abstract

The Government of Tanzania has invested heavily in Flagship Projects specifically the nation's transport infrastructures to ensure that every part of the country is accessible. These include road and railway infrastructures, especially the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) which has been heavily invested in recently. Although many strategic options lead to the realization of the SGR project gains in terms of the number of passengers and freight carried, total operating cost, revenues, and high customer satisfaction, a marketing mix lens which involves the application of specific controllable marketing variables, leaves much to be desired. This study involved an intensive review of the literature and interviews with railway experts to determine and assess potential marketing mix benefits during the operations of the SGR project. Data were collected using an interview guide and analysed using the contents analysis technique. The study found that Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) must properly align the SGR service and overall corporations’ operations along the marketing mix elements of product, price, promotion, place, people, processes, and physical evidence for the realization of indirect benefits of SGR project. This can be possible through preparing marketing plans, communication, and marketing strategies to integrate the stated elements within the railway organizational setting.