Thailand to introduce female-only train carriages

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) Wednesday said it would launch women-only train carriages Aug 1, obviously as a result of a high-profile murder case earlier this month.

From Aug 1, carriages reserved exclusively for women and children under 10 will be introduced on each night train on the country's northern, northeastern and southern railway lines, Xinhua reported citing SRT Chairman Omsin Chivapreuk.

This initiative was launched in the wake of the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl on a night train from southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province to capital Bangkok July 8, with the hope of restoring the confidence among passengers. The crime was allegedly committed by an SRT staff member.

The military junta has removed Prapat Chongsanguan from his post as the SRT governor in response to the public outcry that demanded his resignation. A new governor is yet to be selected.

Women-only carriages used to be in service in 2001 on a night express train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, only to be withdrawn months later due to lack of popularity.