Railways Commissions More Trains To Transport Oxygen, And To Serve As Covid Care Coaches

Making an all-out effort, Indian Railways has undertaken a massive drive to transport oxygen to the crisis-hit areas while making Covid Care Coaches available across the country in its fight against the pandemic.

Delivering nearly 150 tonnes of oxygen in the last 24 hours, oxygen Express with liquid medical oxygen (LMO) tankers have arrived at Nashik and at Lucknow for Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh respectively.

Few containers were also unloaded at Nagpur and Varanasi en route to supply LMO in these regions. Also, the third Oxygen Express started its journey from Lucknow on Saturday morning.

Supplementing the healthcare efforts of the government, the public transporter has made a total of 3,816 coaches available as isolation wards for corona patients.

According to the Railways, a total 5,601 train coaches were converted as Covid Care Coaches out of which 3,816 are available now as isolation wards for infected patients.

The coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to the Covid Care centres as per guidelines issued by the Health Ministry.
The Covid Care Coaches are being deployed as per demand by the State Government.

As on 24 April, the Railways has deployed 21 Covid Care Coaches at Nandurbar district in Maharashtra under Western Railway.

A total of 47 patients have been admitted in these Covid Care Coaches, the Railways maintained.

Madhya Pradesh government has requested Indian Railways to deploy 20 Covid Care Coaches at Bhopal and 20 Covid Care Coaches at Habibganj Railway Stations in West Central Railway.

These Covid Care Coaches shall be operational and handed over to the State Government from 25 April 2021.

In Northern Railway, 50 Covid Care Coaches at Shakur Basti, 25 Covid Care Coaches at Anand Vihar, 10 at Varanasi, 10 at Bhadohi and 10 Covid Care Coaches at Faizabad have been deployed by the Railways.

However, only three patients have been admitted in Covid Care Coaches placed at Shakur Basti.

On the much-needed oxygen front, the Railways is running Oxygen Express in response to its fight against Covid-19.

While states like Andhra Pradesh and Delhi are in consultation with the Railways to run more such trains, tankers filled with LMO at Visakhapatnam and Bokaro are presently being transported through Ro-Ro service of the rail network.

In order to fulfil the requirements of medical oxygen in Uttar Pradesh, for the movement of the train, a green corridor was created between Lucknow to Varanasi.

The distance of 270 Km was covered by the train in 4 hours 20 minutes with an average speed of 62.35 kmph.

A total of 10 containers having nearly 150 tonnes of oxygen have been carried so far.

Transportation of oxygen through trains is faster over long distances than road transport. Unlike road transport, trains run 24x7 on the rails in the country.

Indian Railways has transported essential commodities and kept the supply chain intact even during the lockdown last year and continues to serve the nation in times of emergencies.