REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANGKOK -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said Wednesday that it would launch women-only train carriages on August 1, obviously as a result of a high-profile murder case earlier this month.

From August 1, carriages reserved exclusively for women and children under 10 will be introduced on each night train on the country's northern, northeastern and southern railway lines, SRT chairman Omsin Chivapreuk said.

This initiative was launched in the wake of the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl on a night train from southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province to capital Bangkok on July 8, in hopes of restoring the confidence of passengers. The crime was allegedly committed by a SRT staff member.

The military junta has removed Prapat Chongsanguan from his post as the SRT governor in response to the public outcry that demanded his resignation. A new governor is yet to be selected.

Women-only carriages used to be in service in 2001 on a night express train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, only to be abrogated months later due to lack of popularity.

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