Didi's rakhi gift: Ladies special train to Palwal

As a Rakhi gift for women, Railway Ministry Mamata Banerjee will launch a 'Ladies Special' train from the city to Palwal in Haryana on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan on August 5.

"An EMU train with nine coaches will run on weekdays from Delhi to Palwal and return exclusively for women," a senior Railway Ministry official said.

The train will leave New Delhi in the morning and return in the evening. The special train will take about an hour to reach the destination.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to flag off the ladies special train on August 5, sources said.

The train will be escorted by women RPF squad for the safety purpose, the official said, adding "the squad will strictly monitor any unauthorised entry into the train during its journey".

There was a longstanding demand for a ladies special train in the region seeing the considerable number of working women travelling in suburban trains.

To cater to the needs of women employees during office hours, Banerjee had announced to launch ladies special trains in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata suburbans in her budget speech.