Technical issues derail dist’s plan to use railway coaches for beds

1,080-bed isolation facilities in 60 train coaches made in April this year lie unused, even as space shortage hits COVID-19 patients; railway officials point out lacunae in power supply, ventilation and location

As long ago as in April this year, the Pune division of Central Railway had converted 60 of its train coaches into 1,080-bed isolation facilities for future contingen- cies, as the COVID-19 pandemic had only just begun unfurling here.

But now, come Julyend, at a time when the shortage of beds for coronavirus-positive patients is truly sparking panic and the extra beds provided by railways are needed more than ever, they are simply lying unused — all thanks to lack of coordination between the district administration and railway authorities.

As per the district administration’s claim, its officials had only a few weeks ago formally requested railways to provide the coaches to them. Yet, they say the latter has not green-lit the handover due to “some technical issues”.

Railways authorities are stating that their coaches are ready in the yard — but at the same time, they have asked the authorities to only explore their use as a last option, reasoning that several issues still need to be looked into, such as setting up a power network to the coaches, ensuring proper ventilation for unwell patients, and determining separate access routes.

Almost four months ago, when the outbreak hit the city and COVID-19 cases began spiking, the administration had launched the exercise of converting existing infrastructure into isolation centres, anticipating a rise in toll of patients. At this time, the Pune division of Central Railway had stepped in and converted the said 60 coaches to provide over a thousand beds for incoming cases. Back then, the beds were not urgently needed since district officials already had enough space to keep patients in isolation facilities created by them.

But the number of cases in Pune has now crossed the 60,000 mark, with incidents flooding in of COVID-19 positive patients being unable to find beds in hospitals or other centres. Hence, noting this shortage, the district teams turned to railways officials to enquire about the pending 1,080 beds.


Speaking to Mirror, divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar confirmed, “Looking for more beds to tackle the pandemic, we requested railway authorities to hand over the 60 coaches. I personally spoke to the divisional railway manager about it, but she cited technical issues, and we are still waiting.”

These problems, as per railway officials, need a significant resolution before the coaches become usable. A senior Pune division official of Central Railway reasoned, “There was not much trouble in preparing the coaches as COVID-19 isolation wards, but some practical issues persist. The coaches need to be placed where there is a clear approach road for easy movement of patients. Unlike in buildings, the coaches will require electricity supply from outside to run lights and fans, so these points need to be easily available at the location, too. There also needs to be good ventilation in the arrangement as patients will be staying in the coaches for a few days.”

Approached about the same topic, divisional railway manager Renu Sharma said, “The coaches are ready for use but we have to keep them away from regular passengers at the railway station. Patients may feel hot inside due to the structure of the coaches. So, we have asked the district administration to look at them only as the last resort.”