The Lifeline Express, touted to be the world's first hospital-train that provides medical aid and relief to patients living in far-flung and inaccessible areas, is arriving in Maharashtra next week.

The train, started in 1991, is a flagship project of the Impact India Foundation, an NGO, and the Indian Railways. Since then, it has travelled across the country, providing medical aid to poor patients. It will be stationed for nearly three wekks in Latur district, around 480 km from here in central Maharashtra, from June 15, the Central Railway (CR) has said.

"We are happy to inform you that our association with Impact India Foundation has been coming through long and successful way and in this sequence the Lifeline Express, run by the Foundation, is once again ready to offer its services to the needy people," D K Sharma, General Manager, CR, told reporters yesterday.

The five-coach train will stay in Latur from June 15 to July 6 and then leave for Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh. The hospital train is equipped with a state-of-the-art operation theatre and has surgeons on board who have performed surgeries on cleft lips and polio affected limbs. "This hospital train has provided medical aid to over a million disabled poor patients in rural India free cost of cost which is made possible with the donated services of over 2 lakh professionals from across the globe," said Ramesh Sarin, Chairman of Impact India Foundation.

He said the Lifeline Express has so far performed more that 1.37 lakh surgeries for the restoration of mobility, vision, hearing and correction of facial deformities. "Besides, our hospital train also provide free of cost treatment for epilepsy, dental ailments and oral, breast and cervical cancer," Sarin said.