BENGALURU: A strong nudge by Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh during a recent meeting with top railway officials on the need for a special ‘ladies’ train during peak hours to help women travelling between Mysuru and Bengaluru on work, coupled with strong support for the demand online, has spurred the Bengaluru Railway Division into action.
It has now decided to have a separate ladies coach in its 50 Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) and 25 Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) services run daily between Bengaluru city and neighbouring areas. Bangalore Divisional Railway Manager A K Verma told TNIE, “The blueprint is being finalised. We are keen on launching them along the Bengaluru-Mysuru and Bengaluru-Bangarpet sections. In case of trains which have a separate coach for women, we will consider additional coaches based on demand.”
In response to the MP’s demand, Union Minister of State for Railway Suresh C Angadi recently told TNIE that a separate train for women the Bengaluru-Mysuru route was not possible. “Many families travel between the two cities. How can we permit only women to come on board and ask the men to come by a separate train?” he had asked. “What we can do is ensure more coaches for women,” he said.
While the 8-coach DEMU trains will have one ladies coach, the 8- and 16-coach MEMUs will have one and two ladies coaches respectively, said a senior official in the operations department. While a senior official said it could start within a fortnight, another official said it could take nearly a month to demarcate a separate ‘ladies coach’ in every train.
A top railway official said to ensure women know their coach, the Railways has decided to demarcate the ladies section pictorially and in script. “We are thinking of painting a portion of the wall,” he said. A portion (near the window) would be painted in pink. The marking of the ladies coach on the platform can be done in DEMU or MEMU trains as they have engines on both sides. In 16-coach MEMU trains, the first and last coaches will be for ladies.