Railways drops proposal of massages on trains due to opposition from local reps

Indian Railways has withdrawn its proposal to providing massage services to passengers on board trains after local representatives expressed concerns that the plan may cause inconvenience, especially women travellers.

Western Railways had last week proposed head and foot massage services to passengers on trains originating from Indore. The proposal was made from the Ratlam division of Western Railway zone under New, Innovative Non-Fare Revenue Ideas Scheme (NINFRIS).

"A proposal of providing head and foot massage services on 29 trains had been put forward by Ratlam Division. Railway administration has rejected the proposal after respecting the views of the local representatives who had criticised it, saying there would be a paucity of space on trains and may inconvenience people, especially women," senior PRO of Ratlam Division Jitendra Kumar Jayant told ANI.

Outgoing Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan had reportedly written a letter to Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, raising questions over the proposal. She had said that the facility could pose a safety risk for women.

BJP MP from Indore Shankar Lalwani also reportedly shot off a letter to Goyal criticising the proposal and batted for provision of medical aid facilities on trains instead.

Jayant said that Western Railway will continue working to improve passenger amenities.On June 8, the Indian Railways had announced massage services for passengers on board running trains.