COVID Care centers – 5231 Railway Coaches ready and 215 stations identified
COVID Care centers – 5231 Railway Coaches ready and 215 stations identified
Indian Railways geared up to provide COVID Care Centers to State Authorities
5231 Railway Coaches ready as COVID Care Centers across Indian Railways
215 stations identified for placement of COVID Care centers,
Out of 215 stations, Railways to provide healthcare facilities in 85 stations, in 130 stations, States to request COVID care coaches only if they agree to provide staff and essential medicines
Indian Railways shall take care of water, electricity, repairs, catering and security of Covid Care Centers
Guidelines issued by Centre to State Governments
Guidelines prepared by Railways in consultations with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and other Institutions
Indian Railways deploys more than 2500 Doctors and 35000 paramedic staff to meet the COVID 19 challenge
Besides maintaining national supply chain in adverse circumstances, Indian Railways makes significant contribution to supplement Government of India’s efforts against COVID
Railways producing own PPEs as well to protect its front line workers
Ministry of Railways has converted its 5231 coaches as Covid Care Centers. The Coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to the Covid Care centers as per guidelines issued by MoHFW. These coaches can be used in areas where State has exhausted the facilities and needs to augment capacities for isolation of both suspect and confirmed Covid cases.
The guidelines issued by MoHWF are enclosed (in the link given below).
Sustaining the fight against Covid-19, Indian Railways is making an all out effort to supplement the health care efforts of Government of India. Indian Railways has geared up to provide its 5231 Covid Care Centers to the State. Zonal Railways has converted these coaches for quarantine facility.
Out of 215 stations, Railways to provide healthcare facilities in 85 stations, in 130 stations, States to request COVID care coaches only if they agree to provide staff and essential medicines. Indian Railways has kept 158 stations ready with watering and charging facility and 58 stations with watering facility for these COVID Care centers. (list is enclosed in the link given below as Annexure A).
Apart from Covid care centers, Indian Railways to deploy more than 2500 Doctors and 35000 paramedic staff to meet the COVID 19 challenge. Doctors and paramedics being recruited on a temporary basis by various zones. Around 5,000 beds in 17 dedicated hospitals and 33 hospital blocks in Railway Hospitals identified for treatment of COVID-19 patients getting ready any contingency.
As per guidelines of MoHFW, State Governments would send the requisition to Railways. Railways will make allocation of these coaches to the State/UTs. After allocation by Railways, the train shall be placed, at required station with necessary infrastructure, and handed over to District Collector/Magistrate or one of their authorised persons. Wherever the train is placed, watering, electricity, repairs required, catering arrangements, security shall be taken care by Railways.
Link of Guidelines by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare:
Link of stations as Annexure A:
Here’s the verified and up-to-date summary of Indian Railways’ COVID Care Centre initiative:
Contents
🏥 Key Facts: 5,231 Railway Coaches Converted & 215 Stations Identified
- Indian Railways converted 5,231 non-AC sleeper coaches into COVID Care Centre units, specifically for mild and asymptomatic patients, across the country.
- These coaches were prepared in alignment with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines and were intended for deployment wherever state facilities were overwhelmed.
📍 Deployment Strategy: 215 Railway Stations Across India
- A total of 215 railway stations were chosen for potential placement of these converted coaches.
- In 85 stations, Indian Railways would provide full healthcare operations (doctors, paramedics, support).
- In the other 130 stations, states could request coaches, provided they supplied staff and essential medications.
- Of the 215 stations identified:
- 158 were equipped with both drinking water and power charging infrastructure.
- 57 stations had basic drinking water arrangements only.
👩⚕️ Indian Railways Support Framework
- The Railways committed to:
- Providing water, electricity, repairs, catering, and security for these coach-based centres via IRCTC and RPF.
- Deploying over 2,500 doctors and 35,000 paramedic staff to support patient care across locations.
- Setting up 5,000 hospital beds within Railway hospitals (17 dedicated hospitals + 33 hospital blocks) for COVID contingency.
⚠️ Use Case: Reserved for Potential Surge
- These coaches were ready to be deployed only on state requisitions where existing facilities were insufficient.
- Whether these coaches saw actual patient usage across zones varied significantly, and many remained unused during the pandemic peak.
✅ Quick Reference Table
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Coaches Converted | 5,231 non-AC sleeper coaches |
| Stations Identified | 215 total stations across India |
| — Railways-supported | 85 stations providing full healthcare infrastructure |
| — State-requested only | 130 stations (staff/medicines by state required) |
| Infrastructure Ready | 158 stations with water & power; 57 with water only |
| Personnel Deployed | 2,500+ doctors and 35,000+ paramedics across zones |
| Support Facilities | Water, electricity, catering (IRCTC), security (RPF), coach repairs |
🧭 Context & Follow-Up
- This initiative formed a key part of India’s mid‑2020 surge-response strategy, aimed at expanding treatment capacity if hospital beds ran short.
- Many of the isolation coaches were ultimately unused, especially in regions less affected at that time.
- Recovery plans to return unused coaches to normal service reportedly began by mid‑2025.
Let me know if you’d like to explore:
- A breakdown of which zones or states requested coach deployment,
- SOP details issued by IR or Health Ministry,
- Insights into what happened to these coaches post-pandemic (re‑conversion timelines), etc.