Breaking News English Lesson on Women-Only Trains

A train company in Germany will start a women and children only service. The initiative for the separate carriages is to try to help women feel safer. There will be two special cars on all of the company's trains that run between Leipzig and Chemnitz. The carriages will be next to the one in which the train conductor is situated. The new carriages are causing quite a stir. People on social media say the move is a reaction to an increase in reports of sexual harassment and assault. Rail executives stress they just want to increase security for women and children.

Women-only carriages on trains are not new. There have been such cars on trains in many other countries for decades. In Japan, they were introduced in 1912. Last year there was a call from a politician in Britain to re-introduce such carriages. British trains used to have 'Ladies Only' carriages up until 1977. The politician's comments resulted in a backlash from female politicians. A female colleague said that while violence against women was a serious issue, women-only carriages were not the answer. She said the move would be, "turning the clock back and not tackling the problem".