BBC: Joy of India's women-only trains

Story here. Excerpt:

'What's striking about the new trains - not counting the exclusively female passengers - is the bright colours. The front of the engine is painted blue and red and the carriages are bright yellow.

All eight coaches are interconnected and brightly lit. The cushioned seats are comfortable and ceiling fans make the journey pleasant on a humid evening.
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For many years, most suburban trains have had a couple of coaches reserved for women. But some men always forced their way into their compartments.

"Sometimes men board the ladies' compartment and when we ask them to leave or get aside, they start to argue. They say that if ladies can travel in gents' compartments they should be able to travel in ladies' compartments," Sangeeta says.
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Sangeeta, a shy young woman who commutes daily from Faridabad to college in Delhi, says men often harass women on other trains.

"They touch and pinch."

She says travelling on the Ladies' Special makes her feel safe.
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The Ladies' Specials are the brainchild of Railways Minister Mamata Bannerji, who announced the service in this year's railway budget.

"Our minister was very concerned about the safety and comfort of working women in the cities," Northern Railways general manager Vivek Sahai says.

"The women have ample space to sit comfortably so when they get home after a hard day's work, they can cook and look after their families."
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As the train halts at a station, assistant sub-inspector Prngh Varma steps down onto the platform to ensure men stay away.

"We tell them very politely that 'sir, this is a ladies' train. Please stay away, don't board this train.' If they try again, I tell them, 'if you travel on this train, then what's the point of having a women's special train?"

Mr Varma says most men comply.

"But if anyone forces their way in, we take them to the police station and charge them with entering a ladies' train, and if they are ticketless then we charge them under that law too."

As the train halts at one of the stations en route, men waiting nearby do not seem too happy.

"Generally a man travels with his wife, or sister or daughter," said one disgruntled male passenger, Satya Pal.'

But since this is a Ladies' Special, he has to travel separately.

"That's not practical. There should be some provision for men to travel on this train," Mr Pal said.'