Oxygen Express: Indian Railways delivers over 32,000 mt of liquid medical O2 across India

The Indian Railways is constantly delivering liquid medicinal oxygen to states and union territories around the country. According to the Railway Ministry, Oxygen Express trains have transported 32,464 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen across the country. One thousand 854 tankers were used to convey them.  448 Oxygen Express trains have finished their voyage, bringing relief to various States and Union Territories, according to the Railway Ministry. Two Oxygen Expresses carrying more than 153 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen in eight tankers are currently in operation, according to the statement. According to the Railway Ministry, Oxygen Expresses have provided help to 15 states.

Oxygen Express trains cross a milestone

The Ministry said, "t may be noted that 448 Oxygen Expresses have completed their journey so far and brought relief to various States. It is worth mentioning that Oxygen Expresses crossed the mark of 18000 MT LMO delivery in southern states of the country. Till now, Oxygen Expresses delivered more than 3300, 4100, 4300 and 5600 MT of LMO in the state of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu respectively. Till the time of this release, 2 loaded Oxygen Expresses on run with more than 153 MT of LMO in 8 tankers. It is worth mentioning that Oxygen Expresses started their deliveries 56 days back on 24th April in Maharashtra with a load of 126 MT. It is Indian Railways endeavour to deliver as much LMO as possible in the shortest time possible to the requesting states."

Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Telangana, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Assam were among the 15 states where Oxygen Expresses provided oxygen relief. As of Saturday, June 19, 614 MT of oxygen has been offloaded in Maharashtra, nearly 3797 MT in Uttar Pradesh, 656 MT in Madhya Pradesh, 5722 MT in Delhi, 2354 MT in Haryana, 98 MT in Rajasthan, 4333 MT in Karnataka, 320 MT in Uttarakhand, 5674 MT in Tamil Nadu, 4190 MT in Andhra Pradesh, 225 MT in Punjab, 513 MT in Kerala, 3366 MT in Telangana, 38 MT in Jharkhand and 560 MT in Assam.

Indian Railways delivers 32,464 MT oxygen across India

Indian Railways has laid out various routes with oxygen supply points and is prepared to meet any state's needs, said the ministry. The Indian Railways receive tankers from states to transport LMO. "Indian Railways is picking up oxygen from places like Hapa, Baroda, Mundra in the West and Rourkela, Durgapur, Tatanagar, Angul in the East and then delivering it to States of Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Telangana, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh & Assam in complex operational route planning scenarios," informed the ministry. 

As per the ministry, Railways are setting new standards and setting unprecedented milestones in the operation of Oxygen Express Freight Trains in order to ensure that oxygen relief reaches people in the shortest time feasible. In most situations, these vital Freight trains travel at speeds well above 55 mph over extended distances. Operating on the high-priority Green Corridor, operational teams from several zones are working around the clock in the most difficult conditions to ensure that Oxygen reaches the target in the shortest period feasible. For crew changes over separate sections, technical stoppages have been shortened to 1 minute, said Railways.

To ensure that the Oxygen Express keeps speeding through, the tracks are kept open and high attentiveness is maintained.  All of this is done in such a way that the speed of other Freight Operations is not affected. Running fresh Oxygen is a very dynamic process, and figures are constantly changed, added the ministry. 

Picture Credit: PTI/ANI