A Vande Bharat Express once again became a lifeline for a patient awaiting a heart transplant, making a special halt at Gujarat’s Ankleshwar Railway Station for the first time to transport a donor heart to Ahmedabad.

The heart was donated at Smt. Jayaben Modi Multi-Specialty Hospital in Ankleshwar and had to be transported quickly to U N Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre in Ahmedabad, where a patient was waiting for the transplant.

With every minute crucial in organ transplantation, authorities created a ‘Green Corridor’ to ensure the heart reached the railway station from the hospital without delay. The dedicated route helped the medical team complete the transfer within minutes, allowing the organ to board the Vande Bharat Express for its journey to Ahmedabad.

A team of doctors from U N Mehta Hospital accompanied the organ during the journey and managed the transportation process.

Second heart transport through Vande Bharat in three days

The latest operation marks the second instance in three days where a donor heart has been brought to U N Mehta Hospital through the Vande Bharat Express.

The high-speed train’s connectivity and timely operations played a key role in completing the complex logistics involved in transporting a heart, which has to be transplanted within a limited time window after donation.

The donated heart will now be transplanted into a patient undergoing treatment at U N Mehta Hospital. The surgery will become the hospital’s 78th successful heart transplant, according to the information shared.

Indian Railways expands role in emergency healthcare transport

Earlier on Friday, Indian Railways achieved a milestone by transporting a live donor heart by train for the first time in India.

The organ was carried from Surat to Ahmedabad aboard the Mumbai Central–Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express and delivered to U N Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre for transplantation.

The mission highlighted the potential of railway networks in supporting emergency medical transportation, with Vande Bharat being used as a fast and reliable mode for moving critical organs between cities.

With these back-to-back operations, the Vande Bharat Express is emerging as a new-age ‘rail ambulance’ for time-sensitive medical emergencies, helping bridge distances when every minute matters.

With ANI inputs