Women-only carriages advised in Beijing subway

BEIJING -- Political advisors have proposed setting up women-only carriages on the Beijing subway during rush hour, though transport authorities say there is no specific plan.

The proposal was put forth by two members of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the annual session of the political advisory body, which concluded on Monday.

"By setting up special carriages, women will be better respected and protected," said Xiao Mingzheng, a member with the CPPCC Beijing Municipal Committee.

He said the move will also help reduce sexual harassment to women in subway.

Zhou Zhengyu, director with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, said there has not been further information about setting up the women-only carriages, but he said such move will be a "trend" for public transport development.

"Urban transport should provide diversified services and meet the differentiated demands of passengers," Zhou said.

Figures show the annual number of subway passengers rocketed by six times to 3.2 billion from 2003 to 2013 in Beijing.