At 6pm on Friday, a time when there is a crush of humanity waiting for local trains to take them home in the distant reaches of the National Capital Territory, the train to Palwal chugs into New Delhi railway station. There is no chaotic scramble to get on the train that will go to this small town in Haryana, 60km away. A man tries boarding the almost empty train, but is stopped in his track by a disembodied, irritated voice saying, “It’s the Ladies Special.” Soon after, the special train leaves on its hour-and-a-half-long journey to rural Haryana. The steel and brown interiors of the green and pale yellow train are remarkably empty. Just around 30 women have boarded the train. The three women-only trains carry far fewer than the other jam-packed EMU locals, but Friday’s is particularly low ridership.