'All Female Crew' Pilots 7th Oxygen Express, Delivers 120 MT of Oxygen in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The Railways on Saturday said that the 7th Oxygen Express train piloted by an "All Female Crew" has arrived in Bengaluru with 120 metric tonnes of medical oxygen from Jamshedpur.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said, "The 7th Oxygen Express to Karnataka has arrived in Bengaluru from Tatanagar (Jamshedpur) on Friday."

He tweeted, "This Oxygen Express train piloted by an all female crew will ensure continued supply of oxygen for COVID-19 patients in the State."

The Railway officials said that the 8th Oxygen Express also reached Bengaluru from Jamnagar in Gujarat, carrying 109.2 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen in nine Cryogenic containers on Thursday night and arrived in Bengaluru early morning today at 3:15 AM. The Karnataka government has sought 1,200 metric tonnes of oxygen daily in view of rising COVID-19 cases in the state.

According to the reports, a signal free Green Corridor was created by the Railways to enable swift transport of oxygen to save the life of COVID patients in the state.

The Indian Railways has run 208 Oxygen Express trains so far and transported nearly 13,319 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen in 814 tankers to assist the state Governments across the country in their fight against COVID-19.

On Friday, All India Industrial Gases Manufacturer's Association (AIIGMA) president Saket Tiku said that the demand for oxygen from the states Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Assam has increased as the COVID-19 cases have increased. Tiku said that the demand for oxygen in the states went from 850 metric tonnes (MT) in March last year, to nearly 3,000 MT in September 2020. "There is now the tonnes sale of nearly 9,000 MT per day. These are approximate figures. But now, there is no shortage, and the demand is being met," he added.

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