Plan to station modified isolation coaches at railway stations

Ludhiana: At a time when the number of Covid-19 cases are rising in the country, the railway authorities are preparing a development plan to station modified isolation coaches at different main stations of Ferozepur division,including Ludhiana railway station, for strengthening the present healthcare system in fight against the pandemic.
Higher authorities of the Northern Railway have taken the decision to place these coaches at major stations of the division, where several cases have been reported about passenger’s body temperatures being abnormal, who have come there to either board trains or alight from these at the station.
The authorities have completed the work on setting up 400-500 isolation beds in different coaches of trains for tackling Covid-19 patients at different stations. They had identified the Ludhiana railway station as a potential emergency hospital for stationing these kinds of isolation coaches for providing better healthcare to patients while travelling from one city to another through railway transportation.
Giving inputs on this proposal, a high-rank official of Northern Railway on condition of anonymity, said, “The railway authorities have analysed the report of the daily increase in the number of Covid-19 cases across the states, and felt the need to station such coaches for dealing with these cases in the upcoming months because paramedical companies are yet to find any solution to this deadly virus.”
Divisional railway manager (DRM)of Ferozepur division Rajesh Aggarwal has revealed that the engineering department of the division has finished the work of manufacturing these coaches in Kapurthala by removing middle berths from all nine cabins of the premium coaches and further equipped them with air conditioning system.”
“Lower berths in cabins would be available for patients. Here two patients can be treated in one cabin and a total 16 patients would be able to get better medical facilities in all cabins of the isolation coach. Upper berths of cabins can be utilised for storing patient’s baggage and one cabin near the toilet will be used as medical department,” he said.
“The railway has converted the existing toilet into bathroom by plugging in the toilet pan and installing a shower system for convenience of patients. One cabin is kept for doctors and their equipment and provision of proper power supply has been made. These are being sanitised properly before and after the execution of work each day,” the DRM said.