Life In A Metro: Government Gives Nod To Carrying Organs For Transplant Using Metro Rail

Human organs and tissue for organ transplant can be transported on metro rail services in all cities now.

This comes in the backdrop of the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry amending the Metro Railways (Carriage and Ticket) Rules, 2014, thereby, making an exception for human organs and tissue that is meant for transplantation.

Existing rule prohibits carrying of blood, corpses, bones, human body parts, human skeleton, animal carcasses and portable radio devices on Metro trains as they possess risk to radio communication network and communication-based traffic control signalling network.

The Metro Railways (Carriage and Ticket) Amendment Rules, 2023 notified on 29 May 2023 reads: “a person duly authorised in this behalf by a hospital registered under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 (42 of 1994), may take along human organs or tissue or both, for the purpose of organ or tissue transplant”.

Green Corridor

As on date, ambulances operating within designated green corridors have emerged as the predominant choice for transporting human organs.

A green corridor refers to a specially designated route that is cleared and secured to ensure the efficient passage of ambulances carrying organs slated for transplantation, as well as critically ill patients en route to hospitals, airports, or other destinations.

The implementation of the green corridor system serves as an expedited method for organ transplantation, ultimately contributing to life-saving outcomes. This achievement is made possible through the collaborative endeavours of traffic police and local law enforcement officers, who diligently ensure that ambulances carrying transplant organs swiftly reach their intended destinations within the prescribed timeframe.

As on date, metro rail services are available in 20 cities, with Delhi having the largest network.

The decision is believed to have been influenced by the fact that metro trains are the fastest means of transportation within a city, unaffected by traffic congestion.