Vadodara modified eight coaches into quarantine facilities for COVID 19 patients

Modification
of 32 coaches underway

Looking to
Covid-19 a global pandemic, Indian Railways has come forward to contribute to
its fullest capacity. As part of COVID-19 preparedness, Indian Railways has
decided to modify 20,000 coaches into quarantine/ isolation coaches to augment
the quarantine facilities being created in the country.

Vadodara is also in the process of modified 40 coaches to quarantine or isolation coaches. The Coaching depot, Pratapnagar is modifying railway coaches into quarantine /Isolation coaches for COVID-19 pandemic. The target for Isolation coaches will be 20 at Pratapnagar coching depot and 20 by Pratapnagar workshop. Eight coaches are kept ready by Vadodara to use as quarantine facility for the patients.

Around 20
people consists of Supervisor and staff engage in the modification of the
coaches as instructions by the Western Railway. “We are using the coaches
around 20 years old sleeper for modification and eight are already modified for
use. The coaching depot and workshop are assigned to modified 20 coaches each
to use as quarantine or isolation coaches for the patients,” said Khemraj
Meena Pro Vadodara.

Talking
about the salient features, each coach have -:

1) 08
separate coupes per coach by removing middle berths, facilities with bottle holder,
3 peg coat hook.

2) 01 bath
room with all fittings.

3) Mosquito
net on outer windows.

4) Plastic
transparent curtains on both ends.

5) First
coupe for medical staff and equipments, provision of chain securing arrangement
for oxygen cylinders, separation by plastic transparent curtains.

6) 03 dust
bins per coupe of Red, blue, yellow colours.

7) Mobile /
laptop points in each coupe.

WR has
decided to prepare 460 isolation coaches for COVID 19 patients quipped with all
necessary facilities within a week as decided by Ministry of Railways to
support our medical team. Out of these 460 coaches, 170 will be undertaken by
Mumbai division, 40 by Vadodara, 75 by Ratlam, 70 by Ahmedabad, 20 by Rajkot
& 80 by Bhavnagar division.

Both middle
berths are removed in each cabin. Extra bottle holders shall be provided in
each cabin for holding medical equipment, two for each berth. Extra 3 peg coat
hooks, 2 per cabin to be provided. Mosquito net to be provided on windows to
avoid mosquito entry inside and have proper ventilation too. Each cabin will be
provided with 3 dustbins with foot operated lids of Red, Blue and Yellow Colour
suitably lined with garbage bags.

One Indian
style toilet will be converted into a bathing room. It will be equipped with
bucket, mug and soap dispenser. Taps with lift type handle would be provided in
washbasins.

Similar taps
to be provided at proper height so that bucket can be filled. The  first 
cabin  near  the 
bathing  room  shall 
be  provided  with 
two hospital/ plastic curtains transversely in the aisle so that the
entry and exit to the entire eight berth cabins can be screened off. This cabin
will be used as store/paramedics area.

Two Oxygen
cylinders will also be provided by the Medical department for which suitable
clamping arrangement on the side berth of this cabin is to be provided. For
insulation of the coaches, Bamboo/Khus mats shall be affixed/ pasted on roof
and each side of coach above and below windows to shield effect of heat inside
coach. All charging points for laptop and mobile will be functional and all
such amenity fittings whenever the coaches are requisitioned.

Some of the
main features of coaches are as under.

● One
lavatory is converted to bath room equipped with bathing facilities.

● Provision
of water taps that can be operated by elbow.

● Provision
of foot operated dust bins.

● Plastic
curtains.

● Additional
hanging arrangements for the use of medical equipments.

● Mosquito
nets on windows.

● Store room
for medicos.

● Holding
arrangements of oxygen cylinders.

● Middle
berths are removed from sleeper coaches to accommodate patients.