Special Train From Odisha Bringing Oxygen To State

The Oxygen Express, loaded with five tankers of medical oxygen, has commenced its journey from Odisha's Angul to Secunderabad.

The five empty tankers were sent from Secunderabad for refilling on April 28. After getting filled with liquid oxygen, they are currently being carried back to the state in the Oxygen Express. The tankers contain a total of 63.6 tonnes of oxygen.

This precious cryogenic cargo is being ferried back into the state with extreme care - there are many specific parameters that need to be met while transporting such cargo, including a maximum speed limit, maximum acceleration and deceleration rates, and several loading restrictions. The route for the train was, therefore, decided keeping all these factors in mind.

The Oxygen Express trains have been started by the Indian Railways to provide safe, secure, hassle-free and fast transportation of medical oxygen to different parts of the country during these difficult times. Under the initiative, road tankers are transported by the railways through the roll-on, roll-off (RO-RO) freight services.

The trains are operated at the request of the state governments. While the states must themselves provide the tankers for the oxygen, the Indian Railways takes on the responsibility of bringing back the refilled tankers to the requisitioning state in the fastest and feasible way.

The South Central Railways (SCR) have also been operating such trains to meet the rising demand for medical oxygen in Telangana. So far, two empty Oxygen Express trains from Secunderabad, the first with five empty tankers and the second with four, have been sent to Odisha. The first has even commenced its return journey.

SCR General Manager Gajanan Mallya has assured the state that the railways will continue to provide utmost priority to the running of the Oxygen Express trains, and that any request received on this front will be immediately processed so as to operate the trains at the earliest.