Railways to seek feedback from female passengers to provide women-friendly services

The world's first ladies special train on Western Railway will mark 26 years of its introduction since it first ran between Churchgate and Borivali on 5th May, 1992. Ravinder Bhakar, Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railway said, "This was further extended upto Virar in 1993 and it has been running regularly ever since".

Meanwhile, Women travelling in ladies coaches on the Western Railwaywill now issue a report card for the zone on its amenities for them, officials said today.

To mark 26 years of the first ladies special suburban train that ran between Churchgate and Borivali on May 5, 1992, the Western Railway has decided to take feedback from women passengers on how they can improve its services for them.

"We will be distributing a feedback form to the women commuters and take their opinion to improve our services, specially in terms of maintaining security. Senior officials of the zone will also be interacting with them," Western Railways spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said.

The first ladies special train, flagged off on the Western Railways, was initially run between Churchgate and Borivali and further extended up to Virar in 1993.

To instill a sense of safety and security among the women passengers, the Indian Railways has decided to install CCTV cameras in the coaches, a statement from the ministry said today.

"A talk-back system was also introduced by the Western Railway last year on the occasion of International Women's Day," it said.

"In this system, a two-way communication is established between a commuter in any of the ladies coach and the guard of the train in the event of any emergency by pressing a button on the unit. This benefits women passengers, especially, during exigencies such as security or medical issues," it said.