Mumbai: The two women’s coaches of the newly introduced air-conditioned suburban train are likely to see barricades similar to the ones in Metro trains. Western Railways (WR) general manager A.K. Gupta said that a high number of feedback comments received from commuters are regarding the barricades. Currently, thanks to the train being a vestibule, anyone can enter the 1st and 12th coach earmarked for women.
Mr Gupta revealed that most of the feedback from women has been that they are afraid that the public will not stick to the rules or will not realise that the coaches are earmarked for women as despite being earmarked, the fact that they are designed as vestibule (as seen in long distance trains), allowing anyone to walk into these coaches.
These barricades will be similar to the ones seen at airport check counters and though it is a temporary solution, Mr Gupta said that that the next AC train might have a sturdier option.
He said, “This train is a prototype and we might ask that a partition be made in the AC trains that come to us next.”
There has also been a demand by the commuters to allow non-AC first class ticket and pass holders to be allowed to sit in the train as the train is not seeing as much as crowd as was expected, Mr Gupta said, “That will be decided by the railway ministry but there is no such plan as of now, we also have six months to send all these suggestions to the ministry and the railway board.”
Currently the season ticket of an AC train is double than that of first class and a single ticket is 1.2 times that of a first class ticket.
