Did You Know Railways Has A Special Rule For Solo Female Passengers? Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Did you know there are policies and rules enforced by the Indian Railways to ensure the safety of women passengers travelling alone? Sadly, many of us aren’t aware of them. It’s time we change that. Here we have listed one of the most important passenger rules that every woman travelling alone should know about. We have also shared a few more rules that the authorities have put in place for female passengers. Scroll on to know more.

Special Rule For Females Travelling Alone

According to the Indian Railways’ Section 139, a woman travelling alone cannot be ordered to get off the train at night if she is found without a rail pass or ticket. This rule came into effect in 1989 and says that a woman travelling alone, without a male passenger, cannot be asked to get off the train if she doesn’t have a valid pass or ticket. Especially if she is accompanied by a kid. If she has the means, she can pay the fine and continue travelling. However, in cases where they don’t have sufficient money to pay the ticket, the TTE still cannot remove them from the compartment.

The TTE can inform about such situations to the zonal control room. The authorities can be asked to remove such passengers in case there is any suspicious activity. However, it is to be noted that a woman passenger can only be asked to leave when a lady constable is accompanying the railway officials.

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Some Other Rules Indian Railways Has In Place For Women’s Safety

Now that you are aware of the important rule for women’s safety in Indian Railways, here are some more policies, rules, and measures that you should know about –

1. Under Section 311 of the Indian Railways Act 1989, military personnel cannot enter a compartment reserved for ladies. They can be politely refused entry and advised to travel in the General Coach.
2. As per Section 162, boys aged less than 12 years are allowed to travel in the women’s compartment.
3. Any male entering a women’s coach can be prosecuted by law.
4. Six berths are reserved in the sleeper class of long-distance Mail/Express trains for women. Also, six berths in third-tier AC (3AC) coaches of Garib Rath/Rajdhani/Duronto/fully air-conditioned Express trains are reserved for female passengers. This is done irrespective of their age, or whether they are travelling alone or in a group.
5. In recent years, Indian Railways have installed CCTVs and monitoring rooms at the stations to ensure women’s safety.

Did you know about all these rules and measures? Let us know in the comments and share this information with your friends and family as well!

Cover Image Courtesy: Canva (representative image)