Experiencing Journey: Woman Discloses Account of Riding Indian Train Alone at Night
In a heartening development, Indian Railways has taken significant strides to ensure the safety of solo female passengers, as evidenced by Purvi Jain's recent experience shared publicly on LinkedIn.
During her overnight train journey from Mumbai to Surat, two women police officers conducted a routine safety check specifically targeting solo female travellers. Approaching Purvi Jain at around 11 p.m., they verified her identity ("Seat 38 – Purvi?"), checked if she was comfortable, offered help if needed, and provided a helpline number to call if she felt unsafe later on.
This thoughtful safety initiative, introduced by Indian Railways and the Railway Protection Force (RPF), aims to enhance security for women on overnight trains. The gesture was welcomed not only by Purvi but also by fellow passengers and social media users as a positive shift in women’s safety.
Purvi Jain described this as a small but meaningful step signaling India's progress towards safer travel environments for women, reflecting broader improvements such as faster ticket bookings and better services like Vande Bharat trains. The routine visit by female officers has been appreciated not only by Purvi but also by many on social media, who noted that such improvements in security make solo female travelers feel safer.
The viral post sparked discussions about the positive changes happening in India, particularly in the context of railways and passenger safety. An elderly couple on the train were surprised and felt reassured by the officers' actions, while a third user shared an instance where a woman was accompanied by officers when changing trains.
Acknowledging the positive impact of these changes, a fourth user expressed that such positive changes should be discussed more frequently. Social media users applauded the Indian Railways for ramping up security for solo female passengers, with the user who initially posted the viral post highlighting small changes like improved security as evidence of real progress in India.
Purvi Jain's account highlights how these initiatives are making a meaningful difference on the ground, and it is hoped that such measures will continue to be implemented to ensure the safety and comfort of all passengers.
- In light of this, it would be advantageous to extend this focus on women's safety to other areas, such as health-and-wellness and women's health, ensuring that every woman can travel, live, and prioritize her health with confidence.
- Moving forward, a comprehensive lifestyle approach could be adopted, integrating safety initiatives with travel, promoting comfortable and safe travel experiences for women while encouraging wellness during journeys, thereby enhancing the overall travel experience.
