Return of women-only carriages?

SCOTLAND’S new Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth has given a strong hint that women-only carriages might be introduced after ScotRail returns to public ownership from April 1. The move is likely to be controversial, but critics say it does nothing to deal with the underlying issue of misogynistic comments and sexual harassment by some men towards women, which is a separate behavioural issue.

The introduction of segregated carriages could also prove to be a logistical nightmare on two or threecarriage trains, for example. A further consideration is how it would be policed, as nearly 60% of ScotRail trains operate as driver only.

Women-only carriages have been trialled in Japan and Mexico, and exist in other countries, such as the UAE, India and Iran for cultural reasons, while other countries have tried and rejected the measure as a backward solution.