Woman recounts heartfelt solo night train journey across India

A LinkedIn post by Purvi Jain has gone viral for all the right reasons, reminding Indians that change, especially when it comes to women’s safety, may be happening more quietly and steadily than we think.

In her post, Jain, who was travelling alone on a late-night train from Mumbai to Surat, shared a small but powerful experience that left her feeling deeply reassured about the direction India is moving in.

Around 11 pm, two women police officers entered her compartment, looked around, and asked, “Seat 38 – Purvi?”

Momentarily confused, Jain confirmed her identity. What followed was unexpected.

They stopped, checked whether I was comfortable, and asked if I needed any help. Then they gave me a helpline number to call if I ever feel unsafe,” she wrote in her post, which has now clocked thousands of likes and shares across platforms.

The officers, she later learned, were checking in on her because she was a solo female traveller — a small but significant safety initiative by Indian Railways and RPF (Railway Protection Force) to ensure women feel protected, especially on overnight trains.