Women-only subway carriages during rush hour are being suggested as a way to keep Beijing's female passengers free from overcrowding and harassment.

"Beijing's subway is so crowded during rush hour and women are at a disadvantage in both strength and stature to fight for the limited space," said Wang Zhuo, a member of the Beijing municipal committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body.

In the capital, lines 1 and 2 are thought of as being especially crowded, he said, and at stations such as Jianguomen and Fuxingmen, subway staff regularly have to help passengers squeeze into carriages before train doors can close.