NEW DELHI, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The state-owned Indian Railways has for the first time this year decided to run women-only trains in northern India for Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan.

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated every year by the tying of a thread on the wrist of a brother by his sister as a mark of bond and ritual protection.

"The decision to run special trains this Sunday has been taken for the convenience of women," a senior official said Friday.

The Indian Railways is one of the world's largest train networks, criss-crossing the country from north to south. It operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries 23 million people daily.

This vast public enterprise can be referred to as a semi-state. It runs schools, hospitals, has it own police force and construction companies, and has 1.3 million people on its payroll.

In 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government pledged 137 billion U.S. dollars over five years to modernize and expand the railways.