Oxygen Express was a series of long- and short-haul train services jointly operated by the Ministry of Railways and Indian Railways to overcome a severe shortage of medical-grade oxygen by supplying to various hospitals in different parts of India and Bangladesh during the second-wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India.[1]
| Oxygen Express | |
|---|---|
 Oxygen Express Ro-Ro Service at Kalamboli in Maharastra, 26 April 2021 | |
| In service | MEDICAL PRODUCT transport |
| Manufacturer | INOX |
| Family name | Liquid Medical Oxygen trains |
| Replaced | - |
| Constructed | 2020 |
| Entered service | 2021 |
| Refurbished | - |
| Formation | 2019 |
| Fleet numbers | 10 |
| Operators | Indian Railways |
| Depots | Amingaon, Bengaluru, Jamshedpur, Mumbai, Tondiarpet, Vishakhapatnam |
Background
editOxygen Express trains were operated in two formats: by using cryogenic ISO tanks which can carry 16 metric-tonnes of liquid medical oxygen each;[2] using fixed tankers on semis such as Tata Motors 1618s,[3] which are then further loaded on to the trains at the roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities of the Indian Railways and Indian Army.[4]
At the peak of pandemic, the trains ran on signal-free "Green Corridor" routes, transporting oxygen from various steel plants to various parts of the country.[5]
In July 2021, 200 metric-tonnes of liquid medical oxygen were transported to the Benapole Border Crossing in Bangladesh, from the Tatanagar Junction railway station.[6]
Gallery
edit-
Western Railways' Oxygen Express Train with LMO tanker truck, 23 May 2021 -
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Linde plc's Tata Motors 1618 road tanker is being loaded with Liquid Medical Oxygen at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, 22 April 2021 -
Empty LMO tankers of Inox Air Products departing from Kalamboli goods yard for the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, 19 April 2021 -
Taiyo Nippon Sanso's Empty LMO Tankers at Kalamboli, Maharastra, 19 April 2021
References
edit- ^ Changoiwala, Puja (2021-05-01). "India at breaking point". New Scientist. 250 (3332): 7. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(21)00715-6. ISSN 0262-4079. PMC 8087419. PMID 33967368.
- ^ Mehdiratta, Lalit; Sharma, Ridhima; Jain, Sarvesh (October 2021). "Anaesthesiology as an oasis amid the crisis of the vital medicine 'Oxygen'- innovations and local modifications". Indian Journal of Anaesthesia. 65 (Suppl 4): S145–S148. doi:10.4103/ija.ija_904_21. ISSN 0019-5049. PMC 8613475. PMID 34908565.
- ^ "Railways to run 'Oxygen Express' to meet high demand amid surge in COVID-19 cases". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ "Indian Railways' Oxygen Express train to reach Maharashtra with medical oxygen". The Economic Times. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ "Oxygen Express from Jamshedpur arrives in Bengaluru". The Hindu. 2021-05-11. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ "In a first, Oxygen Express to supply LMO to Bangladesh". Hindustan Times. 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
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