WR to prepare 460 isolation coaches for COVID 19 patients

Equipped
with all necessary facilities

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.

These modified 20000 coaches can accommodate upto 3.2 lac possible beds for isolation needs. Work on modification of 5000 coaches has been taken in the first phase, which are to be converted into quarantine/ isolation coaches has already started.

These 5000 coaches would be having capacity to accommodate upto 80000 beds. One coach is expected to have 16 beds for isolation. In this line, Western Railway has also decided to convert the existing coaches to Isolation ward. Western Railway is targeting to undertake 460 coaches within a week as decided by Ministry of Railways to support our medical team.

According to
a press release issued by WR CPRO Ravinder Bhakar, Western Railway has targeted
to undertake total 460 coaches and the coaches selected are non AC sleeper and
general second class coaches. Out of these 460 coaches, 170 will be undertaken
by Mumbai division, while 45 by Vadodara, 75 by Ratlam, 70 by Ahmedabad, 20 by
Rajkot & 80 by Bhavnagar division. In this mission, the entire zone that
means all workshops and coaches in the depots are working on it.

There are a
lot many constraints for getting the material as markets are closed and people
are not coming up to deliver due to lock down. Railway is putting best efforts
to complete the coaches on top priority so that there is no scarcity of
isolation centers/beds. The first prototype prepared as per the guidelines by
Railway Board, is ready at Bhavnagar Workshop.

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.