Bengaluru Metro races a human heart across the city for urgent surgery

A six-member medical team reached Bengaluru's Ragigudda Metro Station at 7.26 pm, carrying the organ in a specialised container.

In yet another display of coordination and speed, Namma Metro on Monday facilitated the urgent transport of a human heart across Bengaluru, helping ensure it reached the transplant team in time.

The heart was moved from Aster RV Hospital to Narayana Hrudayalaya on the evening of November 17.(BMRCL)

The heart was moved from Aster RV Hospital to Narayana Hrudayalaya on the evening of November 17, marking the fifth successful organ transfer carried out using the metro network.

According to officials, a six-member medical team reached Ragigudda Metro Station at 7.26 pm, carrying the organ in a specialised container. Security officers and station staff assisted them immediately, helping the team clear checks and reach the platform by 7.29 pm.

The team boarded a train at 7.32 pm, with security personnel accompanying them throughout the journey to ensure an unobstructed transfer. The train arrived at Bommasandra Station at 7.39 pm, where the station controller and security staff escorted the team out of the station.

Outside, a waiting ambulance transported the organ to Narayana Hrudayalaya, completing the final leg of the journey and reaching the hospital at 8.12 pm, where the transplant team was prepared to proceed.

BMRCL said the operation followed the joint procedural order issued earlier this year, designed specifically to support emergency medical transfers. Namma Metro press release added that the metro remains committed to enabling life-saving operations across Bengaluru whenever required.

Nearly two weeks after a remarkable medical operation unfolded across the city’s mass transit network, Bengaluru Metro’s role as a true “lifeline” continues to draw praise. Namma Metro enabled the rapid movement of a live human heart and a pair of lungs, helping doctors beat the clock during a high-stakes transplant mission.

According to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), the request came from Sparsh Hospital, which needed to transport the organs swiftly to ensure they remained viable for transplantation. With road traffic unpredictable during morning hours, the team turned to the Metro, which has increasingly become a dependable partner in such emergencies.

The heart was then boarded onto a train and travelled across 17 stations, reaching Banashankari Metro Station at 10:15 am, completing the crucial journey in just 41 minutes.