Female compartment of commuter train

In order to facilitate the regular passengers, the Bangladesh Railway (BR) authority converted the Turag Express into a commuter train category from a local train in the Dhaka-Joydevpur-Dhaka route in October this year. The fare per passenger also increased to Tk 20 from Tk 15. The change, however, makes little difference as far as passengers' comfort is concerned.
Moreover, within a few days of the change, the railway authority also removed one of the two coaches dedicated to women from the train, putting the female commuters at a great disadvantage. When some regular female commuters lodged their protest with the authority and demanded the reinstatement of the dedicated coach, the railway authority remained indifferent. According to a newspaper report, officials of the BR initially expressed their ignorance about the issue. Some of them also claimed that there had been no such dedicated coach, so there was also no scope to reinstate the same.
At issue here are total misinformation and ignorance of the railway staff. This explains the mismanagement that continues to take a toll on passengers. Instead of improving and extending services, the railway authority remains busy otherwise. Though the Railway Act 1891, later revised in 2021, clearly mentions that every commuter train must provide at least one dedicated ladies' compartment, the authority doesn't feel it is duty-bound to pay attention to this mandatory requirement. That's why, when contacted, the relevant officials could not provide any clear information about the current status of the dedicated ladies' compartments of the commuter trains. For example, like the Dhaka-Jaydevpur commuter train, there is a dedicated female coach harnessed with Dhaka-Narayanganj local train. Inter-city trains, however, do not have any dedicated compartments.
The need for commuter trains is largely ignored in the country. One of the main reasons is illegal pressure from bus operators who want the railway authority to keep the services of commuter trains limited and troublesome. Reduction of carriages and unfavourable timetables are two primary tools used to render any commuter train service less useful. Nevertheless, the extensive demand from commuters drives the railway authority to continue the commuter train service on different routes.
As the number of trains is quite limited, with only five to eight carriages for every commuter train, it is difficult for women to get on board. Physical harassment, sexual abuse, devigration and teasing of females by a section of male passengers are a regular phenomenon. The doors of the trains are narrow so passengers have to struggle when there is a rush. Women find it extremely difficult for entry and exit.
There is always a heavy rush as more passengers want to travel by train, which is economic, safe and fast. An eight-carriage commuter train can accommodate as many as 1,500 passengers at a time. So, it is more critical to address the problem of commuter trains in a planned manner. Increasing the number of carriages for each commuter train is the first step, then an appropriate timetable has to be scheduled for people to reach their destinations in time. Providing dedicated carriages for women has to be mandatory. Again, dedicated coach for female does not, however, mean that they are not allowed in other compartments. Sadly, some male co-passengers discourage females in the common compartments and ask them to go to the dedicated coach. Moreover, there should be more space inside the carriages, requiring small seats and adequate handles for standing. The railway authority needs to pay more attention to coaches when procuring those from abroad.

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