Railways’ initiative could be a saviour

Amidst all the dreadful and depressing news about the COVID-19 pandemic coming in from various parts of the country is some heartening news about the Indian Railways and its contribution to India’s efforts to fight the coronavirus. It plans to convert 20,000 railway coaches into isolation wards and quarantine facilities for COVID-19 patients. One coach is likely to accommodate 16 beds for isolation. This means that the 20,000 coaches that the Railways plans to set aside to deal with the pandemic will provide 3.2 lakh beds for isolation. The Railways is in discussions with the Armed Forces Medical Services and medical departments of various zonal railways as well as Ayushman Bharat and will take on board their inputs to implement its plans. It has already begun work on transforming 5,000 coaches into quarantine facilities. The Railways also plans to hire its retired doctors and paramedics to augment manpower on the new facilities. India is facing a severe shortage of hospitals, wards and beds for treatment of potential COVID-19 patients. With the number of those testing positive expected to rise dramatically in the coming weeks as India enters stage 3 of the outbreak, the demand for hospital beds will likely soar. The Railways initiative could well be the saviour.

With the nationwide lockdown in place, trains have ground to a halt. But the Indian Railways has stirred itself into action to put to good use its vast network and infrastructure. The Chittaranjan Loco Works, the Integral Coach Factory at Chennai and the Rail Wheel Factory at Yelahanka in Bengaluru are among the facilities that have been roped in to manufacture hospital beds, trolleys, stretchers, washbasins, water tanks and even ventilators. In addition to resuming freight train services for transporting essential commodities to various parts of the country, the Railways have also resumed parcel trains to allow for the movement of small consignments of medicines and equipment.

The Indian Railways has for long aroused both admiration and disgust – admiration because a journey on its trains takes people to fascinating places across the country; disgust because its trains are notorious for overcrowding and for running late, for their filthy toilets and cockroach and rat-infested coaches. But the Railways has also earned worldwide fame for its vast network. Its trains run to remote parts of the country. This vast network could help reach COVID-19 treatment facilities to most towns and villages in the country that are otherwise not served by government hospitals. The Railways’ initiative to put this to use at a critical hour for the country is commendable and inspiring.