Goods transportation by the French National Railway (SNCF): The measurement and marketing of reliability

Rail transportation that is timely and dependable can compete with the trucking mode for Just-in-Time (JIT) deliveries. SNCF, the French National Railway, has a number of such offerings that emphasize reliability of freight shipments. Several of these SNCF products are described by the authors. They have in common the nature of regularly-scheduled service: planned connections to specific trains at classification yards. The authors discuss ways that SNCF can measure reliability, monitor it, and market it. Third-party logistics services of the SNCF are summarized, as is marketing research by SNCF to update their product line in goods transportation. The authors conclude with possibilities for future research.