Railways converts 168-room bullet train hostel into quarantine facility for coronavirus patients

The Indian Railways has converted a new hostel building of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project training institute in Vadodara into a backup quarantine centre for coronavirus patients.

The 334-bed quarantine facility has 168 rooms and 12 common rooms.

The Railways has been innovating ways to expand the quarantine facility network in the country to accommodate as many patients. It is also expected that Railways may convert some of their coaches as quarantine facility but no such decision has been taken yet.

"We continue to explore all options," a senior Railways official said.

Moreover, the Indian Railways has said that it will use its manufacturing facilities to make essential items for medical purposes.

The Railway Board has asked general managers to assess feasibility of manufacturing items like simple hospital beds (without mattress), medical trolleys for hospitals and quarantine facilities, IV stands, stretchers, footsteps for hospitals, bedside lockers, washbasins with stands, ventilators, personal protective equipment like masks, sanitisers, water tanks among others.

Railways has consulted its production units and zonal railways workshops and has decided to use units like Chittaranjan Loco Works, Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, Diesel Loco Works in Varanasi and Rail Wheel Factory in Yelehanka, Karnataka to manufacture the essential medical items.