CHENNAI — In a remarkable example of urban transport supporting healthcare, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) played a crucial role in the swift emergency transport of donor organs for life-saving transplant surgeries on Friday, officials said. According to reports, a **heart and lungs were conveyed from the Chennai International Airport to **Apollo Hospital on Greams Road in record time using a dedicated metro service, sharply cutting transit delays caused by city traffic.
The organs, which had been flown in from Madurai by air ambulance, arrived at Meenambakkam Metro Station where a special non-stop metro train was deployed. The metro covered seven stations in just nine minutes before medical teams transferred the cargo by road for the final stretch to the hospital. This rapid coordination was enabled by amendments to the Metro Railways (Carriage and Ticket) Rules, 2023, allowing authorised medical consignments to be transported on metro services.
In a parallel effort, lungs were also brought from Tiruchy to the city through a police-escorted green corridor to support additional transplant procedures. Authorities and hospital officials highlighted that bypassing surface congestion through metro use and green corridors proved critical in saving lives, with patients successfully undergoing heart and lung transplants after reaching the hospital in minimal time.
The initiative underscores Chennai Metro’s expanding role beyond conventional commuter transport into emergency medical logistics, enhancing outcomes in time-sensitive healthcare interventions, news as reported.
