Indian Railways Transports Live Donor Heart by Train for First Time
The 217-minute trip enabled a same-day transplant, while the donor’s kidneys and liver were also recovered for three other recipients, officials said.
- On Friday, July 31, 2026, the Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express transported a live human heart from Surat to Ahmedabad, marking the first time a live heart was moved by train in the country's history.
- The donor was 36-year-old Mithun Lakshman Swain, declared brain-dead at New Civil Hospital in Surat on Thursday; his family consented to donate after counselors explained the importance of organ donation.
- Indian Railways, the Railway Protection Force, Gujarat Police, and medical teams executed the 'highly sensitive and time-bound life-saving operation,' covering 250km in 217 minutes with a dedicated green corridor in Ahmedabad.
- Surgeons successfully transplanted the organ at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, while Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel cited 77 successful heart transplants at the facility and reaffirmed his government's healthcare commitment.
- The successful operation demonstrates rail infrastructure's potential to strengthen emergency medical services, while the donor's kidneys and liver were transported separately by road to the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Vande Bharat's first live heart transport helps save patient in Ahmedabad
In a highly sensitive and time-bound mission, a live donor heart was successfully transported aboard a Vande Bharat train from Surat to Ahmedabad on Friday for transplantation at a prominent cardiac teaching hospital in Gujarat's commercial capital.
Vande Bharat carries donor heart to Ahmedabad, saves life in 1st-of-its-kind mission
A donor heart was rushed from Surat to Ahmedabad on a Vande Bharat Express and transplanted at UN Mehta Institute. The operation highlighted rare coordination between Railways, police and doctors in a race against time.
250 Km In 2 Hours: Donor Heart Races Via Vande Bharat To Save Life
In a historic medical first for Indian Railways, a live donor heart was rushed 250 km from Surat to Ahmedabad on Friday via a high-speed "green corridor" created aboard the Vande Bharat Express and across city streets to save the life of a critically ill cardiac patient.
Indian Railways transports live donor heart on Vande Bharat for first time
Indian Railways has transported a live donor heart by train for the first time in India, using the Mumbai Central–Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express to carry the organ from Surat to Ahmedabad.
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