As per RTI details provided by both Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR), the number of toilet facilities provided to women is roughly a fourth of what men get. According to the railways, however, the women population is not more than 20 per cent of the total commuters.
The information was provided to RTI applicant Chetan Kothari. As per the reply, WR has 678 toilets for men and 169 for women, at 38 stations between Churchate and Dahanu. While CR's 79 stations on central and harbour lines provide 960 urinals, toilets and bathrooms for men, and 241 for women. CR did not provide details of toilets at 14 stations that are maintained by CIDCO in Navi Mumbai. At nine CR stations, there are no toilet facilities at all.
But gender divisions aside, the suburban railway network is short of toilets when one looks at the number of commuters along its length.
There are 37 lakh daily WR commuters, while 42 lakh board the CR trains every day. But western line has 847 toilets and stand-alone urinals, while its central counterpart has 1,201 stand-alone urinals, toilets and bathrooms.
And the metropolitan's most crowded western line stations — Borivali, Andheri, Dadar, Vasai and Churchgate — which see an average footfall of 1.5-2 lakh passengers a day, have 225 toilets each, on an avergae, for men and women. The most number of toilets, that is 75, are located at Borivali. Of these, 16 are for women.
On Central Railway, Thane, Dombivali, Kurla and Dadar, which see an average footfall of 2 lakh passengers a day, together account for 352 toilets. Of these, a mere 56 are for women.
Deluxe toilets which are air-conditioned are at Dadar, Thane, Bhayandar, Vasai, Malad, Virar, Bandra Terminus and Andheri.
