RailEnquiry

CHENNAI: The lure of vacant seats in an albeit crowded suburban train service is too much to resist for some men. For some others, it is plain ignorance. Three years after the ladies special suburban trains in Chennai Beach-Tambaram and Chennai-Arakkonam sectors were flagged off, regular commuters are still finding it difficult to distinguish them from the rest.Men continue to get into the train accidentally because it is very difficult to identify whether a train is ladies special or a regular service as the Railways is yet to give it a special colour code.The train was mainly started to help women commuters travel without hassle. "Many men get on the train unknowingly and are fined by the women police stationed inside the compartments. They even get off at the next station after we tell them," said a frequent commuter on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram ladies special train.In the last four months alone, 53 men were fined for travelling in the ladies special trains in the two sectors, according to sources from the Railway Protection Force (RPF).When the ladies special train was introduced in 2009, a record 257 men had boarded the train in the Chennai Beach-Tambaram sector. That figure soon dropped in three cases in 2010 after RPF cracked down on the violators. But, it increased again in 2011 to 21 cases.

The Chennai Beach-Arakkonam sector is worse off with 153 cases in 2009, 34 cases in 2010 and 164 cases in 2011. A fine ranging between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 is imposed against offenders under section 162 of Indian Railway Act 1989.

Most of the violators are office goers and college students. They board the ladies train in suburban areas like Chengelpet and Potheri. As the helpline number is advertised in all coaches, women commuters often alert the RPF.

"We are taking all possible precautions to eliminate the problems faced by men. Also, we are planning to increase the publicity of this train so that men are aware that it is a women's only train," said VJ Accamma, chief public relations officer, Southern Railway.