In ladies' compartments of twelve coach trains

Recently, the few remaining platforms at Sealdah station serving nine-coach local trains were extended to comfortably station twelve-coaches. Hence, all local trains in the North-South line have now been converted into twelve-coach trains, and nine-coaches have basically become non-existent. 

At least that's what I get to experience every day.

But how does this affect my life?

When it comes to daily commute via local trains, people are aware that there are many existing problems. What often escapes them however is that solutions to those problems might create even more problems, in this case for example. Platforms with never ending concrete now feel like deserts. One has to walk, sprint, run till they reach the bogey carrying women, pardon, Ladies. This arises from the issue that ladies' compartments are only available at the two ends of the train, one in the front and one at the back. Any subway opening in the middle of a platform has no way of connecting the two ends of the platform, nor the train's. One must shove past shoulders, shirts, hair, and a whole lot of stares to reach any one end of the train, thereby reach their favourite compartment - the Ladies' Compartment (the real ones know there's hardly any favour in choosing ladies' over general but mostly the compulsion to remain safe and comfortable).

The conversion of nine-coaches to twelve-ones have only extended a woman's journey to reach either ends of the train. It has turned a mile-long run to a double; what felt like a relay race now feels like a 400m single. The coaches get lost, the platform never ends, and the train always takes off before the wanted coach arrives. An unaccomplished survivor, an underachieving hustler, a female's body; what remain are all-encompassing thoughts of defeat, yet she stands, waiting for the next train to arrive.

This was me a few days ago. This is me. Yet I brush it off, I wait patiently, and I observe. 

All We Imagine As Light 2024 (dir. Payal Kapadia)
Prabha and Anu in the train scene, in a ladies compartment, returning home from work.
(picture from The Guardian)

Ever since the extension of nine-coach trains into twelve, the ladies' compartments have shrunk. Previously, I used to hear demands on increasing compartments for ladies, and that offering barely two ladies' special local trains aren't enough (read this beautiful article from 2009 on want for more ladies coaches). Rush hours require better infrastructure for safety and comfort of women. Getting ogled shouldn't be the only choice left after a long day at work or tour to the city. However, the miles-long run from one end of the platform to the other, attempting to reach one of the ladies' compartments on either ends of the platform, is only an attempt to fail. This happens more frequently since the extension because reaching twelve-coach ends mean a pretty long run. The last of all scenarios then comes alive - a woman quickly catches hold of a general coach, everybody questions 'why is she here?' and she spends the rest of her travel compromising on safety, comfort and ladies' leisure. 

Such is the direct consequence of building twelve-coach trains, an attempt to solve a larger problem but made to be inconvenient and poorly-thought out for ladies. While the problem of overpopulated train compartments have been put at bay, the problem of the ladies have been issued with even more problems because of this decision. The two ladies' compartments on the two ends of a nine-coach train used to have four doors each, while the current ones with twelve coaches have only three doors in each ladies' compartment. This obstructs efficient movement in and out of trains, especially when they board at major stops during office hours. "Laabh ki holo?" (how did this benefit?) quips a few women as they angrily shove, push, barge in the train. 

Honestly, how did this benefit? I pondered as I stood, waited, swung to-and-fro to train rhythms and agreeable-disagreeable conversations in the ladies' compartment. I observed many women who were unable to reach the countless grab holders oscillating from the roof. Why were they up so high? "This was originally a general compartment now turned for ladies," said someone standing near the door. The twelve-coach train could not hide the last minute changes made inside it. This ladies' compartment felt too alien, too colourless, the doors were not right, and the grab holders were too high and too many. What point is it to extend train coaches if they get out of reach for us? Laughable, but how could they think they could hide this away?