Six In 10 Rail Users In Klang Valley Are Female - Loke

The Transport Ministry recently addressed concerns about female-only coaches on trains, in response to Setiu MP Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir's parliamentary inquiry. The ministry reassured that despite women comprising 60% of peak-hour rail commuters in the Klang Valley, there are sufficient regular train coaches for all passengers.

The women-only coach project is currently implemented on the MRT Kajang Line, MRT Putrajaya Line, and LRT Ampang Line due to their larger train capacities compared to the LRT Kelana Jaya Line and KL Monorail. Women-only coaches for KTM Komuter services are available only in the Klang Valley sector, while the initiative has not been introduced for the northern sector, it added.

The ministry was questioned by the MP about the ratio of male to female rail users and if there were enough coaches to prevent men from having to use the women-only coaches.

It responded that there are currently enough regular coaches to meet the needs of all passengers, including making sure male passengers do not have to use the women-only coaches during peak times.

“To ensure the optimal allocation of train coaches, rail operators continuously monitor the gender ratio of passengers, allowing for improvements to be made as necessary,” it said.

User @ArosliWealth posted his thoughts on his X account back in January, emphasising how some women were occupying the packed shared coach while the women-only coach was largely vacant.

“Women, for the life of me, during peak hours, could you please sit in the women’s coach first, especially when it’s obviously vacant?” he tweeted.

He added in a later comment that he saw four empty seats in the women's coach and one woman sitting alone in the crowded mixed-gender coach.
The message garnered significant attention and sparked online discussions among social media users. Some female users agreed with him, asking why some women choose crowded shared coaches over dedicated women-only trainers. However, several others noted that women-only coaches are frequently just as crowded.