Bhubaneswar,  East Coast Railway (ECoR) has initiated steps for conversion of 261 coaches to serve as quarantine facilities to combat COVID-19, said an official on Thursday.

This conversion will be done at different coaching depots and workshops situated across ECoR.

ECoR will create the quarantine facilities at Mancheswar Workshop (51 coaches), coaching depots at Puri (39), Bhubaneswar (46), Sambalpur (32), Vishakhapatnam (60) and at Khurda Road station (33).

Till Thursday, conversion of 23 coaches have been completed - one each at Mancheswar and Khurda Road, five at Puri, six each at Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur and four at Vishakhapatnam, said an ECoR statement.

All essential facilities required by an individual will be provided by making necessary changes in the coaches. Besides, necessary medical facilities like oxygen cylinders will also be provided.

First cabin of each coach will be used for store/paramedics area and other cabins will be used for patients, the statement said.

After conversion of these coaches, it will be attached to form trains and will be kept at different stations where all the medical facilities will be available.

It has been decided to keep three trains at Bhubaneswar, two at Khurda Road, two at Sambalpur, one at Titlagarh, three at Vishakhapatnam, one at Vizianagaram, one at Cuttack and two at Puri.

The conversion of all the coaches into quarantine facilities will be completed by April 15.