The Indian Railways has been able to deliver over 10,000 MT of oxygen across the country, Railway Board Chairman Suneet Sharma said on Monday.
Addressing a virtual press conference, he said: “Reached milestone of carrying 10,000 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen on Monday morning on Oxygen Express. Oxygen Express delivered the life-saving gas to 13 states.”
Noting 800 MT oxygen has been transported on a daily basis, Sharma said that 269 Oxygen Expresses have delivered 10,302 MT of LMO to different states since April 19.
He also said that the railways also made ramps at several stations to load oxygen tankers onto the railway wagons.
Sharma also said that the railways have 4,176 isolation coaches which have been stationed at several stations in different states at the request of state governments.
He said that at the request of the Delhi government, the railways provided 50 coaches at Shakur Basti railway station and 25 coaches at Anand Vihar railway station. At Shakur Basti, five patients have been admitted in the isolation ward coaches.
The railways also provided 60 isolation ward coaches to the Maharashtra government, out of which 24 coaches are stationed at Nandurbar station where 120 patients are currently admitted, 12 coaches at Ajni station where 14 patients have been admitted, and 24 coaches at Palghar station where 10 patients are admitted.
Sharma said in Madhya Pradesh, 20 coaches at Bhopal have 31 patients admitted and 22 coaches at Indore have another 31 patients.
He said that the railways provided 20 coaches in Gujarat, 50 in Uttar Pradesh, 71 in Assam, and 20 in Tripura’s Agartala.
Across the country, a total of 211 patients have been admitted in these isolation ward coaches, he said.
The Railways Board Chairman also pointed out that despite the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the railways have been able to achieve a maximum loading of 1,232 MT in the financial year 2020-21, and in April this year, it recorded the highest-ever loading of 111.53 MT of freight.
He said this May, railways have already loaded 58 MT of freight as compared to 53 MT in the same period last year.
He said that the national transporter has taken all precautions against Cyclone Tauktae, and was ready with all the arrangements to deal with it, and also in touch with the state governments to take corrective measures in advance.
He said that the railways are currently running 1,005 mail or express trains, 3,893 suburbans, and 517 passenger trains. He said that the trains are being rationalized, based on occupancy.
To a question about how many railway employees have been vaccinated for Covid, he said as of now, 4.32 lakh employees have been inoculated and the railways are also in touch with state governments for the vaccination of its employees.
