more-in The city’s Western Railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR) suburban lines have had different experiences with the trial of an emergency talk-back or ‘panic button’ system that they installed in the ladies’ compartments of local trains. While CR has deactivated the panic button after a four-month trial because of misuse, WR officials say that they are now planning to install the system in all of their rakes thanks to the positive feedback from commuters. The cost for installing the system in two trains was approximately ?25 lakh. The talk-back system enables two-way communication between passengers and the train’s guard in case they need help. The guard receives a signal and audio, plus a visual indication on her or his control panel, and after ascertaining the nature of the problem, the guard can alert security staff at the next station. Western Railway Divisional Railway Manager Mukul Jain said that the pilot project had received a lot of positive feedback from women commuters, and that they were demanding the system be installed in all trains. “There are ladies who comes to the station master’s office at various stations and express their appreciation for the talk-back button,” another Western Railway official told The Hindu. “They say that they feel secure, as they think that they have someone who will protect them in case of any emergencies.” Asked about misuse on the Western line, the official said that there have been none so far.

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