The Central Railway informed that the first Oxygen Express, a Ro-Ro (roll-on-roll-off) train, left from Kalamboli goods yard in Mumbai to Vishakapatnam Steel Plant on Monday carrying seven tankers which would be loaded with liquid oxygen from there for transportation to Maharashtra.
"Railways is running its first Oxygen Express in its fight against COVID-19. The Ro-Ro service with 7 empty tankers departed from Kalamboli, Maharashtra for Vizag today. Oxygen Express will move via a green corridor for loading with Liquid Medical Oxygen," Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted.
The Mumbai division of the Central Railway also built a ramp at the goods yard to facilitate loading and unloading tankers in and from flat wagons.
The Railways had announced that it would run Oxygen Express to transport medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders countrywide. Under the initiative, empty tankers will be loaded with liquid medical oxygen from Vishakapatnam, Jamshedpur, Rourkela and Bokaro for supply countrywide as different states have reported a shortage of medical oxygen in the wake of increasing coronavirus cases.