Women passengers who enjoy the comfort of travelling in a coach reserved for them feel that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) should induct more six-coach trains as soon as possible.

The reserved space is a much-needed relief for women, especially during peak hours when coaches are jam-packed and they have only the first two entrances reserved for them in the three-coach trains. In the six-coach train, which was introduced last week, the first coach is reserved for women.

The demand for more such trains was made on Thursday during an inspection by the chairperson of Karnataka State Commission for Women (KSCW) to find out how women-friendly Namma Metro is.

The chairperson, Nagalakshmi Bai, said, “The commission made a surprise visit to Majestic metro station and travelled till Vidhana Soudha station. I interacted with many women passengers who were using the metro. They told me that during peak hours, they find it difficult to travel as the three-coach trains are jam-packed.”

“Though the first two entry gates are reserved for them, they feel it is not sufficient. The BMRCL has already started operation of a six-coach trains, reserving one coach for women. There is need to increase the number of these trains,” she added.

Mr. Bai said she would write to the BMRCL to take up measures to properly differentiate the coach reserved for women from the other coaches. “I am also planning to write to the BMRCL to put signage or partially paint the coach in pink so that passengers can easily identify it.”

Another problem she found is the lack of cleanliness and maintenance of restrooms. One commuter recalled using a restroom at Indiranagar metro station and was appalled that the flush was not working. “There wasn’t any soap either,” she said. After visiting toilets at some metro stations, she said, “The toilets are in a pathetic state. The metro trains are used by lakhs of people and the BMRCL should make sure the toilets are clean.”