The state government on Friday in a letter to the railways said it is allowing all women on local trains with regular tickets/passes October 17 onwards. The suburban rail administration has, however, said it cannot do so at a day's notice. A letter from the state Disaster Management and Relief & Rehabilitation had said women commuters may travel on trains between 11 am and 3 pm and from 7 pm till the last train and requested railways to increase frequency of local trains.

Commuter Ashwin Gindra, who had tweeted requesting this a day before, welcomed the decision. Gindra said, "Working women have been suffering. Transport by road is not only is expensive, but also very tiring. I had tweeted to Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday." Cheers went up on Twitter as the state government's letter went viral.