Women commuters in Mumbai will have more than a reason to celebrate on Friday, as the world’s first ladies Special suburban train completes 25 years of its operation since its maiden run between the suburban stations of Churchgate and Borivali on the Western Railway in Mumbai in 1992.
The Western Railway flagged of the First ladies special train on the May 5, 1992 with much fanfare, a service that was widely welcomed by the women commuters. “This service which was initially run between Churchgate and Borivali was further extended up to Virar in the year 1993 and it has been running regularly ever since then,” Western Ravinder Bhakar, Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railway said on Thursday.
The milestone of dedicating an entire train exclusively for women commuters prompted other railways in India and abroad to emulate the idea. The special train has helped the estimated one million-plus Mumbai women commuters travel safely to and from their homes and workplaces. “We salute the spirit of the women folk of Mumbai region and the ladies Special train will always be an enlightening tribute to womenhood,” Bhakar said.
Currently, the Western Railway runs four ladies special suburban trains during peak hours in both the directions between downtown Churchgate in south Mumbai and far-off Virar, a satellite town located at a distance of 60 km.
“To instill a sense of safety and security amongst the women passengers, we have installed CCTV cameras in almost 60 ladies coaches. In addition, we put in place a new measure “Talk-back System” on the occasion of International Women’s Day in all the ladies coaches of two suburban rakes, as a pilot project,” Bhakar said.
“In this system, a two-way communication can be 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. Guard will receive the audible sound and visual indication on the cab control panel located in Guard Cab and assistance can be provided at the earliest,” the WR spokesperson said.
According to Bhakaqr, the “Talk-back system” has hugely benefitted lady passengers, especially, during any exigencies such as security or medical issues. Subsequently, the Talk Back System will be provided in more rakes.