Rlys to place ladies coaches in centre, paint with new colour

Coaches reserved for women will now be placed in the centre of trains and will be painted in a different colour to make it easily identifiable, sources in the Railway ministry said.

This will be done in suburban as well as long-distance trains, as part of the national transporter's plan to mark 2018 as the year for security of women, they said.

The coaches will also have CCTV cameras as an additional security measure and it is also being discussed to cover their windows with wire meshes, they said.

A committee formed to monitor the implementation of plans for safety and security of women travelling by trains, comprising Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani, member (traffic) Mohd Jamshed and other senior officials, has already taken a policy decision regarding the issue, the sources said on Friday.

Opinions have been sought from railway zones to finalise the details, they said.

While it is not clear in which colour the coaches will be painted in, sources said the railways is considering pink colour.

"We realised that in the present situation where the ladies coach comes right at the end, there are times when the coach is completely dark and women passengers are afraid to board it. It was a security issue," said a source.

The source said the railways is also planning to install wire meshes on the windows of the coaches for additional security and to prevent men from entering the ladies coaches through windows, which happens regularly.

It has also been decided that these coaches will have mixed crew of both men and women - be it ticket checkers or RPF personnel, sources said.

The committee has also said that in next three years, the number of stations managed by women should be increased from the present three to 100. General Managers have been instructed to earmark 10 stations from every zone for this purpose, the sources said.

The committee has also decided to build infrastructure facilities at railway stations and trains, which will include separate toilets and changing room for women.