Hyderabad, Feb 2 (IANS): For the first time, authorities in Hyderabad used the Metro train on Tuesday to transport a heart from one hospital to the other for transplantation.

The heart from a brain-dead person at Kamineni Hospital located at L B Nagar was transported by a non-stop metro train from Nagole station to Jubilee Check Post.

Special arrangements were made by Hyderabad Metro Rail to create the green channel along the 21-km route.

After the two hospitals approached Hyderabad Metro Rail, the officials agreed to operate non-stop metro train to ensure that the organ reach the destination in time.

The heart was donated by the family of a 45-year-old farmer from Nalgonda, who was declared brain dead.

The beating heart was transported in an ambulance from Kamineni Hospital to Nagole Station and after it was transported by train to Jubilee Check Post, it was again taken by road to Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills, where the transplantation was done. Traffic police was also involved at both the ends to create the green channel.

A special train was arranged at Nagole, which picked up the heart at around 4.30 p.m., pacing through the entire stretch of 21 kilometers crossing 16 stations between Nagole and Jubilee Hills. It took less than 30 minutes for the train to reach Jubilee Hills rushing with an average speed of 40 km per hour. All stations were kept on guard and informed through a public address system regarding the movement of this special train. An ambulance was kept ready at Jubilee Hills to take the heart and rush to the hospital.

"We are always at the service of people and this was a God-sent opportunity for us to mobilise our resources towards saving a precious life. I must thank Kamineni and Apollo Hospitals for reaching out to us with this benevolent request. We have taken all safety measures while mobilising a special non-stop train from Nagole to Jubilee hills, seamlessly facilitating the transportation of the heart in a quest to save a life," KVB Reddy, managing director and CEO, L&TMRHL

There have been many instances of traffic police creating green channels for transporting organs from airport to hospitals in the city or from one place to the other within city limits. However, this is the first time that Hyderabad Metro was used for the purpose.

The decision was taken in view of the problems in transporting the organ through high traffic density corridors in the city. Officials said it would have taken an hour to transport the heart by road.