2 more Oxygen Express trains carrying 238.5 tonnes LMO reaches Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Two more Oxygen Express trains carrying 238.5 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) have reached the city, the South Western Railway said on Tuesday.

These were the eleventh and twelfth trains carrying the life-saving gas to Karnataka, and the state so far has received 1,420.64 tonnes of LMO by Rail.

The 11th Oxygen Express, carrying 124.19 tonnes of LMO in six cryogenic containers that started from Rourkela, Odisha at 09:30 pm on May 23, reached ICD Whitefield here at 06:10 am today, a release from the South Western Railway said.

The 12th express too reached ICD a couple of hours later at 09:49 am. This train was carrying 114.31 tonnes LMO in six cryogenic containers and had started from Kanalus at Jamnagar in Gujarat at 04:30 am on May 24, it added.

Despite the challenges posed by Cyclone Yaas during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian Railways has been ensuring timely loading and transport of LMO, the release said.

A signal-free ‘Green Corridor’ was created by the Railways to enable swift transport of these Oxygen Expresses, i.e. these trains have run stoppage free, and have not had to wait for crossing/passage of another train.

Indian Railways has so far run more than 247 Oxygen Expresses and transported more than 16,000 tonnes of LMO all over the country to assist state governments in their fight against COVID-19.