One of the best-kept secrets in Shanghai over the past two days has been a new train service providing female-only compartments for women who don't want to share their slumber space with strange men.

The gender-restricted sleepers began their runs between Shanghai and Beijing on Monday as the result of an order from the Ministry of Railways. The Shanghai Railway Station did not promote the special berths, and as of yesterday, no one had taken advantage of the testosterone-free zones.

City Rail officials were similarly low key on explaining the reasons for the new sleepers, speaking only in general terms such as the desire to provide a better ride for women passengers.

The Shanghai Railway police said sexual harassment was not an issue since few such cases have been reported in recent years.

Ministry of Railway officials said in a terse news release that they simply wanted to improve service.

"I just can't accept the idea of sleeping inside a cubical next to some guys I don't know. It would feel so unsafe and uncomfortable," said Ruan Chenji, a 25 year-old single woman from Shanghai.

A Shanghai Railway Station official surnamed Han believes the new service will be a big hit once people get to know about it.

But if the female-only sleepers do become popular, many travelers will be disappointed unless the railroad adds berths.

At present, the sleepers are available only on two of the five high-speed trains that make the 12-hour run between Shanghai and the Chinese capital. And only two, four-bed compartments have been set aside for women on each of those trains.

Pricing won't weed out the competitors for the limited berths. Tickets for the female-only compartments cost around 500 yuan (US$62), the same as the beds in mixed-company quarters.

Some railway workers say the cloistered train trip might not appeal to many young moderns anyway.

"Some female passengers said they found it fun to make friends with the strange guys they met on the train. They said the long trip was a good chance to meet some interesting men," said one railway station worker.

?And some men foresee the possibility of other night-long combinations.

"Why not also offer carriages in which single men and women can travel together?" said Xie Ye, a 29-year-old Shanghai man who is a frequent train passenger. "I think that would be a blessing for single people like me."

(Shanghai Daily February 8, 2006)