SNCF deploys hospital train

[DavidB-AU]

SNCF has started transporting Covid-19 patients using a TGV Duplex trainset that has been has adapted as a mobile hospital unit. It is being used to evacuate recuperating patients from hot spot areas where the hospitals are saturated to regions which have spare capacity in their intensive care facilities.

 

According to SNCF President Jean-Pierre Farandou, the double-deck trainset can carry up to 25 patients. There is provision for four people in each trailer car, where the stretchers are supported above the seats, which have not been removed. Each vehicle has a six-strong medical team, comprising an anesthetist, a junior doctor, a nurse anesthetist and three nurses. The buffet car has been adapted as a ‘medical space’ in case the condition of a patient deteriorates en route.

 

Transport Minister Jean-Baptise Djebarri said SNCF would also be making available overnight train stock for use by the medical services if required.

 

https://www.railwaygazette.com/high-speed/sncf-deploys-hospital-tgv/56110.article

[Philou]

Not the best use of resources in my view - it is complete and utter shambles over here. Things that I had observed regarding the train:

 

The first patients arrived at 6am and the train didn't leave until 9:15 - 3 hours to load 25 patients.

 

The patients were manhandled onto the train instead of placing them on the stretchers directly and then placing the stretchers onto the seats - why?

 

And if it's correct - look at the numbers of medical staff that were required on the train to look after the patients when perhaps they were better kept at Mulhouse where needed the most.

 

Coming to the field hospital that the army constructed in the car park at Mulhouse - it took them over a week to construct it. I was speaking to an ex-TA medical person who said to me (perhaps a little tongue in cheek) that the TA would have set up a 600 bed field hospital in 24 hours! Macaroon himself said 'we are at war'. During wartime, you do with what you have as quickly as possible.

 

And here's another thing - now a debacle is brewing over the use hydroxychloroquinine. Allegedly, its sale over the counter was stopped on 15th of January - now I wonder why? The government, when faced with the possibility of open revolt regarding its use, which though not clinically proven in the sense that it hasn't been trialled with a large number of guinea pigs, has been trialled under the auspices of an internationally renowned virologist, has relented and has now said 'OK, you can use it on patients as a measure of last resort'. NO, it has be used when the symptoms FIRST appear - under controlled use of course. It'll be very easy to say under the usage foreseen by the grubbymint to say 'See, it didn't work'.

 

Sorry about the rant, but it does make me cross.

 

Take care out there everybody, as in the UK you're about 10 days behind us here.

 

Just to add, there have been 225,000 fines issued here in just over week for not observing the movement restrictions. You know it makes sense - restrict your movements to the minimum.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[Joseph_Pestell]

44 minutes ago, DavidB-AU said:

SNCF has started transporting Covid-19 patients using a TGV Duplex trainset that has been has adapted as a mobile hospital unit. It is being used to evacuate recuperating patients from hot spot areas where the hospitals are saturated to regions which have spare capacity in their intensive care facilities.

 

According to SNCF President Jean-Pierre Farandou, the double-deck trainset can carry up to 25 patients. There is provision for four people in each trailer car, where the stretchers are supported above the seats, which have not been removed. Each vehicle has a six-strong medical team, comprising an anesthetist, a junior doctor, a nurse anesthetist and three nurses. The buffet car has been adapted as a ‘medical space’ in case the condition of a patient deteriorates en route.

 

Transport Minister Jean-Baptise Djebarri said SNCF would also be making available overnight train stock for use by the medical services if required.

 

https://www.railwaygazette.com/high-speed/sncf-deploys-hospital-tgv/56110.article

 

Seems like a truly odd choice of train for the purpose with all those stairs to negotiate.

[Oldddudders]

Those of us in Pays de la Loire are of course delirious at the thought of patients being imported to swell the numbers. 

[Metr0Land]

Hopefully not too far off topic.  I watched Macron's address to the public a few nights back and he kept mentioning things like 'eastern France' and 'Alsace' being particularly badly hit, hence the field hospital at Mulhouse.

 

Is there anything online to show cases by area in France?  My late wife and I spent annual holidays in the area 2010-2015 so know it pretty well, not to mention trips in the previous decade when filming the construction of LGV Est.

[Oldddudders]

https://www.lci.fr/sante/carte-coronavirus-covid-19-quelles-sont-les-regions-villes-touchees-par-epidemie-de-covid-19-bilan-vendredi-20-mars-2147806.html

[Philou]

You need to treat the statistics with some care as they do NOT include those that pass away in care homes. Where I am (Bourgogne Franche-Comté) we have few cases, though we touch the Grand Est, wherein lie Mulhouse and Alsace. HOWEVER, if you then compare numbers of cases/deaths to population numbers, then the stats are skewed to show that we actually have a high proportion (yesterdays figures showed the Grand Est being about 75 and us 56 cases per 100,000 population) and we're a sparsely populated area compared to many other areas of France.

 

I can sympathise with @Oldddudders as where he is, the cases per 100,000 population is presently quite low. It seems that spreading the disease is de rigueur at the moment .

 

Anyway, it's a nice day here and we shall go out for a walk later (no one about as we're in the sticks).

 

Take care everyone and limit your movements - you know it makes sense.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[montyburns56]

I do hope that this train isn't full of famous faces and doesn't need to cross a rickety arch bridge....

[Philou]

That was so just an awful film - now you see the catenary - now you don't, all being hauled by electric locos. I have no idea where they came from or where they were supposed to be going to. All I know poor Mr Eiffel would have been very cross to see his bridge blown up .

 

Unless I'm very wrong, the bridge was the Pont du Garabit. Saw it couple of years ago AND a train happened to cross at that moment - didn't get blown up though!

 

Cheers and take care,

 

Philip

 

[russ p]

21 minutes ago, Philou said:

That was so just an awful film - now you see the catenary - now you don't, all being hauled by electric locos. I have no idea where they came from or where they were supposed to be going to. All I know poor Mr Eiffel would have been very cross to see his bridge blown up .

 

Unless I'm very wrong, the bridge was the Pont du Garabit. Saw it couple of years ago AND a train happened to cross at that moment - didn't get blown up though!

 

Cheers and take care,

 

Philip

 

 

I don't think it got blown up it was the train was too heavy for the rusty bridge. 

Not seen it for years but there was some track footage of a bridge that probably wasn't that one that was overgrown and rusty and featured French bullhead rail

The other thing I remember of the film was that the signal box panel showed a gap in the bridge after it collapsed! 

[Philou]

I know we're going OT, but if I remember correctly the train was full of people carrying a disease (?) and they got rid of them by drowning and (I thought) 'arranged' the collapse of the bridge.

 

 

Photo I took in 2010 - train passed a few moments later. Was this the one modelled in the film?

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[russ p]

Wasn't the explosion to somehow divide the train in a vain attempt to make it lighter and several vehicles were stopped using a handbrake in the corridor for some reason 

[brushman47544]

Think the film was The Cassandra Crossing