mumbai

Updated: Oct 27, 2017 10:39 IST

In a first for the suburban network, the Western Railway (WR) launched a breastfeeding room at Bandra station on Thursday. It is located on the platform number one near the recently-built washroom. The facility is also available on stations handling long distance trains, including Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Mumbai Central. It is currently unavailable at local stations under the Central Railway.

However, at Dadar station, which also caters to long distance trains, a room has been reserved to breastfeed babies. It is on the platform number six.

“Space was available at Bandra railway station for the room.” Said Mukul Jain, divisional railway manager, WR. CR and WR officials said they are planning to have more such rooms at other station.

The stations which will have rooms will include Matheran, Kalyan, Thane, Panvel, Lonavala, Igatpuri on the central railway and on the Western Railway the suburban stations which will have washrooms undergoing renovation under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The rooms have been constructed after a directive was issued from the railway ministry asking all zonal heads to provide baby feeding cubicles within the waiting hall at all A1 and A category stations. Railway ministry had also received a letter from Women and Child Development Ministry seeking feeding spaces at railway stations.