Indian Railways loaded 111.53 million tonne (MT) in April 2021, the highest ever loading, including essential commodities despite constraints. This is highest ever freight loading in April, and 10.4 per cent more than the previous best of 101.04 MT in April 2019, added Railway Board Chairman and CEO Railway Board Suneet Sharma, in a virtual press meet on Saturday.

The freight revenue of ₹11,164 crore was registered in April 2021. Despite Covid-19 challenges, Railways achieved eight consecutive months of record loading.

Also, the CRB and CEO said that some 25 Oxygen Expresses had completed the journey moving 56 full tankers and 813 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen. These trains – named Oxygen Expresses have delivered 25 tonnes in UP; 10 in Maharashtra; 12 in Madhya Pradesh; five in Haryana, and four in Delhi.

More Oxygen tankers are also on the run – six for Delhi, five for Telangana, three for UP, two for Madhya Pradesh; two for Haryana. Oxygen Express being run as per availability of road tankers. “We are getting demand from all places,” said Sharma, adding that these trains are being run at a time when Railways is also running passengers trains (unlike last year).

Also, Railways is making available 4,176 coaches that it converted for Covid Care, and state governments were advised about availability. These coaches,that are isolation coaches for mild Covid patients have been placed at various sites, including Delhi; Nandurbar (Maharashtra); Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh); Tihi, Indore (Madhya Pradesh). Punjab (Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar) ; Madhya Pradesh (Jabalpur) and Kohima, Nagaland.

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