New Delhi: To make it easier and safer for women to travel by train, the Indian Railways has now announced that long-distance trains will soon have reserved berths for women. The move is expected to improve the journey of women passengers in long-distance trains of Indian Railways.
Announcing the decision, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that to ensure the comfortable and safe travel of women passengers in long-distance trains, Indian Railways has allotted special berths for women and several other facilities.
Long-distance trains such as Garib Rath, Rajdhani, Duronto and fully AC Express trains will have six berths in sleeper class reserved for women. The births will be available for all women passengers irrespective of factors such as age. Women passengers can also book berths even if they are travelling with a group of women. In every sleeper coach, 6-7 lower berths will be reserved for women while in the 3AC coaches, 4-5 lower berths will be reserved, the minister added.
In addition, three-four berths will also be reserved in 2AC coaches for senior citizens and women above 45. Pregnant women below 45 can also reserve seats to ensure that she has a comfortable train journey.
“Police and public order are state subjects under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. The Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP) and District Police have been given special instructions to provide better security to the women passengers,” he was quoted as saying by News18.
