Children stand in front of the Lifeline Express hospital train. (Jordi Pizarro)

Women waiting for cataract surgery. (Jordi Pizzaro)

There is a different kind of train that you might see traveling deep into India’s rural areas. This train is not meant for ferrying passengers from city to city. Instead, its function is to bring precious medical care to India’s rural residents. There are scant medical facilities in much of India, and many of the places where people can seek medical attention only have resources to provide basic care.  Enter the Lifeline Express, otherwise known as the “Magic Train of India.”

To some, the Lifeline Express is indeed magical. Created 25 years ago, the train offers a unique way to provide Indians with medical care. Winding down the railways of India, it mostly visits rural areas, bringing medical attention to those who have a hard time finding it otherwise. Doctors in the train provide a multitude of services, including surgeries to help restore movement, hearing, sight and the correction of cleft lips. Photographer Jordi Pizarro hopped on the train to show how India’s rural poor receive treatment on this unique train.


Patient during the anesthesia process. (Jordi Pizzaro)

Patients waiting for cataract surgery. (Jordi Pizzaro)

Waiting for their turn for cataract surgery. (Jordi Pizzaro)

Patients wait to see a doctor. (Jordi Pizzaro)

Inside the hospital train during an operation. (Jordi Pizzaro)

People waiting in a rural hospital in the state of Jharkhand. (Jordi Pizzaro)

A woman waits for a doctor in a rural hospital in Jharkhand, India. (Jordi Pizzaro)

A child recuperates after undergoing surgery. (Jordi Pizzaro)

A man undergoes a surgical procedure on his ear. (Jordi Pizzaro)

A cerebral palsy victim waits for a doctor at a hospital in rural Jharkhand. (Jordi Pizzaro)

A doctor rests after performing operations, and a boy prepares food. (Jordi Pizzaro)

A doctor checks a patient’s eyes at a medical facility in rural Gujarat state. (Jordi Pizzaro)

A child with cerebral palsy waits for a doctor at a hospital in Jharkhand. (Jordi Pizzaro)