The first "Oxygen Express" carrying seven empty tankers left from Kalamboli goods yard in Navi Mumbai yesterday (19 April) near Mumbai for Visakhapatnam, where they will be loaded with liquid oxygen for transportation to Maharashtra, the Indian Railways said.

The Indian Railways pressed into operation the Ro-Ro service in response to its fight against Covid-19.

The public transporter has also waived over-dimensioned consignment charge (ODC) for Oxygen Express. The transport of liquid medical oxygen shall be free from levy of over-dimensioned consignment, the railway notification stated.

Team Mumbai Division has built a ramp within 24 hours at Kalamboli goods yard to facilitate loading/unloading of tankers from flat wagons.

The Ro-Ro service with seven empty tankers departed from Kalamboli goods yard for Visakhapatnam steel plant siding. The train will move through Vasai Road, Jalgaon, Nagpur, Raipur to Visakhapatnam steel plant siding in East Coast railway zone, where it will be loaded with liquid medical oxygen.

The railways had transported essential commodities and kept the supply chain intact even during the lockdown last year and continued to serve the nation in times of emergencies.

According to the railways, with requests from several states for oxygen transportation, it explored the possibility of transportation of liquid oxygen and conducted trial runs.

Earlier, the railways had run trains to provide water to drought-hit Marathwada region.