The oxygen express, which departed all the way from Rourkela in Odisha, arrived at Madurai at 8.15 am, sources said. The tankers carried 31.02 metric tonnes (MT) of liquid medical oxygen to cater to the needs of patients infected with COVID and for their treatment across the southern region of Tamil Nadu. The railway tracks existing at the station were facilitated with ramps to load and off load oxygen tankers. It’s the fourth oxygen express train that reached south Tamil Nadu. 

So far, the entire Tamil Nadu has received 1734.01 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen, sources said. As per instructions of Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation Limited, oxygen tankers would take it to the reach of hospitals. Oxygen express trains have crossed the milestone of providing 20,000 MT liquid medical oxygen for patients, a statement said. 

With these, 300 oxygen express trains have completed their journey in service to the nation. Apart from Sterlite in Thoothukudi, which generates medical grade oxygen with its capacity of 35 metric tonnes, Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC) in Thoothukudi and Ramco Cements in Virudhunagar have also come up to generate medical grade oxygen from their plants, which all are located in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu. Moreover, the state government is also looking forward to generating oxygen from BHEL in Trichy, sources said.