What the UK can learn from countries with single-sex train carriages – as petition sparks outrage

In Egypt, metro trains in Cairo and trams in Alexandria have reserved carriages just for women.

In Brazil, dedicated cars for women aim to decrease sexual harassment on the subway. 

In Japan, women-only carriages were implemented years ago, and still exist in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka.

In these countries as well as others such as Malaysia, train compartments just for women have the purpose of making travel safer.

The same applies for such cities as Jakarta in Indonesia.

As for us here in the UK, ‘ladies-only’ train carriages are a thing of the past.

So, what could we learn from the designated pink compartments adopted around the world?

A travel writer from The Telegraph has shared her expert opinion on the matter. 

In Japan, women-only carriages were implemented years ago, and still exist in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka

In these countries as well as others such as Malaysia, train comparments just for women have the purpose of creating a safer space to travel

There are great advantages to the system, The Telegraph reported. For one, it improves female solo travel.

With female-only cars staffed by female conductors on certain sleeper trains in Kazakhstan, for instance, the feeling of safety is much greater.

Travelling in women-only carriages could help both tourists and locals avoid any unwanted advances from men.

While they will not end sexual harassment altogether, they could be a great step forward. 

Earlier this year, a 21-year-old UCL student launched a campaign calling for women-only carriages on the tube in London.

Camille Brown’s petition urged Sadiq Khan and TfL to ‘do more to protect women’ after saying harassment on public transport has become a ‘growing issue’ in the capital. 

With a petition signed by more than 12,000 people and the attention of the London Mayor, Camille asked that at least one dedicated women-only carriage be introduced on every tube line in an attempt to limit gender-based harassment on the underground. 

The response was mixed, with some in support of the idea and others meeting the proposition with criticism – with many outraged, saying it increases segregation and is underutilised in some places.

The same applies for such cities as Jakarta in Indonesia

It comes after it was last week reported that a women’s rights campaigner has rejected calls for female-only Tube carriages.

She instead said it should be men who are segregated in order to drive down harassment and sexual assault on the network.

Patsy Stevenson said a men-only carriage would be a better solution than segregating victims, because they constitute the ‘majority’ of offenders.

In the first six months of 2025, there were 907 sexual offences reported across all TfL services, an increase from 879 in the same period the previous year, the BBC reported.