COVID-19: Northern, North Central Railway modifying 680 coaches to accommodate 11,000 patients

Northern Railway and North Central Railway are working on a war footing to prepare 680 isolation coaches to accommodate nearly 11,000 people in case there is a sudden spurt in coronavirus positive cases, a senior official said on Friday.

As many as 68 trains with 10 coaches each are being modified and they are expected to be ready within a week to accommodate 10,880 people, Rajiv Chaudhary, who holds the charge of General Manager for both the zones, told PTI.

He, however, said these isolation coaches are suitable for only those coronavirus patients who do not have breathing problems and those having no hospital or quarantine facility in their nearby areas.

Those having respiratory issues will have to be admitted to a proper hospital, he said.

Multiple teams of railway doctors and paramedical staff will be deployed at these facilities, he said.

These trains will be taken to remote areas and kept at a railway station, he said.

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Every train will have 10 coaches having eight cabins each in which two patients can be kept, Chaudhary said, adding that while 39 trains are being prepared by the Northern Railway, the North Central Railway is modifying 29 coaches.

A special emphasis will be given on sanitation and food facilities for the patients, Chaudhary said.

The North Central Railway has started the work of converting the train coaches and it is likely to be complete by April 7, seven days ahead of the April 14 deadline given to it, he said.

The railways has directed all its divisions to prepare 5,000 special coaches in order to deal with the situation if there is a sudden spike in the number of cases, he said.