RailEnquiry

Kochi: Marking the death anniversary of Soumya, who was pushed out of a train and raped two years ago, the Railways is to deploy additional coaches for women, starting with the ShoranurThiruvananthapuram Venad Express.

The popular Venad Express (16301/2) would feature two Ladies compartments from February one in response to demands from women commuters.

“We’ve received many complaints from women passengers about the hardship they undergo during travel in peak hours. We’ll deploy an additional compartment reserved for Ladies in the Venad Express. The facility will be extended to other trains if we find it necessary,” a top railway official said.

He added that it had also come to the notice of the railways that on quite a few occasions, there were no proper marking on the Ladies compartment, resulting in confusion. “This would be rectified. We’d mark ‘Ladies Only’ sign more prominently in all trains,” the official said.

The All Kerala Railway Users’ Association, which took up the issue, termed the initiative as “great relief”.