Sat Nov 08 17:24:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a rewritten news article based on the provided text:

Summary:

On November 8, 2025, the Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) operated as a “green corridor” for the first time, facilitating the rapid transportation of lungs harvested from a deceased donor in Bengaluru to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai for transplantation. The lungs were transported from Meenambakkam Metro to AG-DMS Metro in 21 minutes, covering 10.82 km. A heart from the same donor was transported to MGM Healthcare via a road “green corridor”. This initiative follows similar instances in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, where metro systems have been used to expedite organ transport. This is possible due to a 2023 amendment to the Metro Railways (Carriage and Ticket) Rules, allowing authorized personnel to carry human organs for transplantation.

News Article:

Chennai Metro Turns ‘Green Corridor’ for Life-Saving Lung Transplant

CHENNAI, November 8, 2025 – In a groundbreaking move, the Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) successfully acted as a “green corridor” today, drastically reducing the transport time for a pair of lungs destined for a life-saving transplant at Apollo Hospitals. The organs, harvested from a deceased donor in Bengaluru, were rushed from Meenambakkam Metro station to AG-DMS Metro, a distance of 10.82 kilometers, in a mere 21 minutes.

The lungs, along with a heart, arrived at Chennai Airport via air ambulance from Bengaluru at 1:52 p.m. A six-member medical team then transported the lungs via the VIP gate to Meenambakkam Metro and boarded the train at 2:07 p.m., arriving at AG-DMS Metro at 2:28 p.m. An ambulance was waiting to whisk the organs to Apollo Hospitals. Simultaneously, a road-based “green corridor” was established to transport the heart to MGM Healthcare.

“We ensured a smooth process by coordinating at both origin and destination stations,” said a CMRL official. “The team traveled with the package alongside other passengers. Fortunately, being a weekend, there was less crowding.”

This marks the first time Chennai Metro has been utilized in this manner, following precedents set by the Hyderabad and Bengaluru Metro systems. These metro systems have facilitated rapid organ transport in the past, including Hyderabad Metro transporting a heart in under 30 minutes and Bangalore Metro transporting a liver for 31 km in under an hour.

The initiative is made possible by a 2023 amendment to the Metro Railways (Carriage and Ticket) Rules, which allows authorized personnel to carry human organs or tissues for transplantation purposes. The successful implementation of the “green corridor” by Chennai Metro underscores the vital role public transportation can play in facilitating critical medical procedures and saving lives.

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