'Women's carriages' available on all Shenzhen metro lines

SHENZHEN - Priority carriages for women are now available on all metro lines in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, after the carriages were opened on four new lines on Thursday, International Women's Day.

According to Shenzhen Metro Group, the first and last carriages of every train on lines 2, 7, 9 and 11 are now designated priority carriages for women. Such carriages have been available on trains on lines 1, 3, 4 and 5 since June 26, 2017.

Pink signs reading "Priority Carriages for Women" have been installed on the shield gates and inside the carriages. Railway staff broadcast the availability of the special carriages in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English.

The move is aimed at allowing women to feel more comfortable, especially when trains are very crowded.

While the carriages are intended to be for women only, there are no metro staff enforcing this. If women need to be accompanied by a male passenger due to illness or other special conditions, or if women are traveling with a male senior citizen or child, they can sit together in the carriage, according to the group.

In Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, a trial of similar metro carriages began in June 2017. One carriage on every train on Line 1 is reserved for women during rush hours on workdays.