Kolkata, Apr 3 (PTI) The city-headquartered Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway are converting more than 650 coaches into quarantine units in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said here on Friday.

While the Eastern Railway is modifying 338 coaches as part of its COVID-19 preparedness, the South Eastern Railway is converting 329 coaches at various workshops, they said.

The conversion works of the coaches are being carried out under the guidance of the railways' medical department and these will be equipped with all necessary healthcare facilities, a South Eastern Railway official said.

Work for the conversion of the 329 coaches into isolation units are being carried out on a war footing at the SER's Kharagpur workshop, besides Santragachi, Tatanagar and Hatia depots, he said.

Out of the 329 coaches, which are all non- airconditioned, Kharagpur workshop has been entrusted to modify 160 compartments, Santragachi is converting 89 coaches, while Tatanagar and Hatia depots are modifying 20 and 60 coaches, respectively, he said.

The Eastern Railway is modifying 338 non- airconditioned coaches into quarantine or isolation units at nine locations under its jurisdiction to meet the anticipated need for augmenting medical infrastructure at different locations, an official said.

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