The first ladies’ special between Bandel and Howrah on Monday morning. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

The first ladies’ special train rolled into Howrah station from Bandel at 9.53am on Monday. The local was 10 minutes behind schedule, but even the delay couldn’t dampen the spirits of its passengers — mostly working women, college girls and schoolchildren — who expressed happiness at railway minister Mamata Banerjee’s gift to them.

At Bandel, local Trinamul Congress supporters decorated the station with arches and flowers. They distributed sweets among the passengers before the train started for Howrah at 8.40am.

Anima Dey, 38, who boarded the train at Bandel to reach her office in BBD Bag, said she was a staunch supporter of a Left party, but “I must admit that by launching a special train, Mamata Banerjee has rendered an excellent service to women”.

Papiya Bhawmick, 58, an employee of Calcutta Port Trust, is due to retire in two years. The resident of Baidyabati narrated how difficult it was for a woman of her age to board a crowded local during the peak hour. “Now that a ladies’ special has been launched, I hope to complete my two years of service comfortably. For the first time in years, I got a seat in the train,” she said.

Though the nine-bogey train was packed with women, a number of young schoolboys could be spotted too. The women, however, didn’t object. One of them said: “We object to male passengers entering a ladies’ compartment but do not mind schoolboys. We have sons and brothers of this age group at home.”

There were two woman GRP personnel in each compartment. They too did not object to the schoolboys’ presence. Samir Goswami, the chief public relation officer of Eastern Railway, said: “If women passengers do not object, we have no problems if schoolboys use this train. I must praise the consideration shown by the women passengers.”

College girls were happy that they would no longer be forced to travel in general compartments and endure “unwanted attention” from male passengers. Serampore resident Soma Maity, who studies in Surendranath College, said: “Only women know how difficult it is to travel in general compartments with male passengers.”