Covid-19: CR and WR begin work to convert 892 coaches of outstation trains into isolation wards

The Central and Western Railway have begun conversion of coaches of outstation trains into isolation wards for coronavirus patients. As many as 892 outstation train

The Central and Western Railway have begun conversion of coaches of outstation trains into isolation wards for coronavirus patients. As many as 892 outstation train coaches will be converted into isolation wards.

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“Efforts are being taken by the Railways to fight coronavirus. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) manufactured coaches are being mortified as isolation wards and that will be available during a contingency,” said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relation officer, Central Railway (CR).

Of the 892, 482 coaches on the CR and 410 coaches on the Western Railway (WR) will be converted into isolation wards. These coaches will be handed over to the state government during the emergency when the city hospitals have reached their maximum patient capacity.

“The isolation wards in the coaches will be used as an emergency back-up plan. When the situation arises, in case of deficiency, the coaches will be given directly to the state government or the hospital that requires it.” A CR official said.

In the city, the conversion work is going on in Matunga and Parel railway workshop and Wadibunder and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) railway depots. On the WR, the work of isolation ward is going on at Lower Parel, Mahalaxmi workshop. Mumbai Central railway depot, Bandra Terminus depot, Surat, Rajkot, Dahod and Ahmedabad, in Gujarat.

The isolation ward coaches in the outstation train will also be transported to different parts of the country if required.

The decision for the conversion of the coaches into isolation wards was made after a video conference with the railway minister Piyush Goyal along with the general managers of all the zonal railways of Indian railways, last week.

Initially, the Northern (includes Delhi, Lucknow, Ambala, Firozpur and Moradabad) and North Frontier railway (includes Assam, parts of Bihar and West Bengal) zones were asked by the railway ministry to make prototypes of the isolation wards in the coaches. The same will be implemented by all zonal railways in their railway workshops.