Karnataka’s first oxygen express to reach Whitefield on Tuesday

BENGALURU: The first Oxygen Express for Karnataka, carrying 120 tons of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) in six cryogenic containers, is all set to reach the inland container depot (ICD) terminal at Whitefield here on Tuesday morning. The train left Tatanagar station in Jamshedpur at 3.30 am on Monday. South Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Aneesh Hegde said, “A green corridor has been created for the train. It is likely to reach around 8 am on Tuesday.”

The Ministry of Railways has exempted the LMO container from four specific charges - terminal charge, terminal access charges, busy season charge and development charge, he added. Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru Division, A K Verma said, “Each container on board the express carries 20 tonnes of LMO.”

Future consignments will be transported to the ICD from Kalinga Nagar railway station in Odisha. Linde India, which has already dispatched LMO to a few states, is supplying the oxygen. The Bengaluru railway division recently readied the satellite goods terminal in Whitefield to facilitate the shipment of liquid oxygen through tankers loaded on trains.