Indian Railways has equipped each coach with 27 dustbins, one bucket, one mug, six soap dispensers, etc.

Indian Railways stations COVID-19 train coaches at Anand Vihar station! To dedicate the Indian Railways Anand Vihar terminal for housing 170-180 isolation coaches for COVID-19 patients, the Northern Railway zone has suspended operations of all train services from the railway station in East Delhi. The last few trains were rolled in and out of the Anand Vihar station on Monday, while the five pairs of trains for which the railway station served as the terminal would now be shifted to Old Delhi Railway station, according to an IE report. Empty isolation coaches were parked in the station’s coachyard, on Monday, that are yet to be cleaned, sanitized and medically equipped.

The Northern Railways spokesperson was quoted in the report saying that each coach will be equipped with three oxygen cylinders. Also, Indian Railways will provide electricity and charging facilities, water, PPE kits as well as Railway Protection Force (RPF) staff to ensure that only authorized personnel can enter. Once everything is in place, the national transporter will hand the coaches over to the state government, he said. Indian Railways had already handed over 57 isolation coaches at Shakurbasti and now, it is up to the Delhi government to begin using them for COVID-19 patients. Indian Railways will also be handing over 170-180 coaches at Anand Vihar as well as 20 more coaches at another railway station. The national transporter is looking to finalize the location to station the remaining 250 isolation coaches, he added. Each of these coaches will provide 16 beds.

In each of the empty isolation coaches, the first cubicle has been designated as ‘Doctor’s Cabin’, which has been separated from the rest with a plastic sheet. An official at the station was quoted in the report saying that there will be around 180 isolation coaches accommodated at Anand Vihar railway station. The rest of the coaches will be across other railway stations such as Shakurbasti, Safdarjung, and so on, he added.

Indian Railways has equipped each coach with 27 dustbins, one bucket, one mug, six soap dispensers, etc. The beds on the isolation coaches are not yet fitted with linen. Since the windows of all the sleeper and second-class coaches do not have sealed glass windows like the air-conditioned coaches, they have been lined with mosquito nets.

According to a spokesperson of the Delhi government, how these Indian Railways’ isolation coaches will be medically equipped for COVID-19 cases- the details are still under discussion. However, this will be undertaken as a joint effort by the central and the state governments, he said.