Railways isolation coach in Delhi gets first suspected COVID-19 patient

The railways modified isolation coaches parked at the Shakur Basti Station in New Delhi received the first suspected COVID-19 patient on Wednesday, officials said, adding around 15 more are expected to arrive.

All of the patients are suspected cases of coronavirus, they said.

Around 50 such modified coaches are currently stationed at the Shakur Basti Railway Station’s maintenance depot.

Each coach has the capacity of 16 beds.

“First patient arrived at Shakur Basti COVID Care Center of Railways in New Delhi. We are committed to provide all necessary help in this fight against COVID-19,” Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted.

The railways has provided a total of 503 such coaches to the Delhi government. This is the second lot of patients to be admitted in the railway isolation coaches, with around 59 being admitted at the Mau Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh, many of whom have already been discharged.

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