The Ministry of Railways, in coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has rolled out a series of technology-driven and on-ground measures to prevent elephant deaths caused by train collisions, Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
A key initiative is the deployment of an AI-enabled Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that uses Distributed Acoustic Sensors (DAS) to detect elephant movement near railway tracks. The system works through optical fibre networks and pre-installed signatures of elephant locomotion, generating real-time alerts for loco pilots, station masters and control rooms to enable timely preventive action.
Currently, the IDS is operational across 141 route kilometres in critical and vulnerable locations identified by forest departments in the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). The Railways have sanctioned expansion of the system across major elephant corridors on Indian Railways, covering over 1,100 route kilometres, including NFR, East Coast Railway, Southern Railway, Northern Railway, South Eastern Railway, North Eastern Railway, Western Railway and East Central Railway.
In addition to technology deployment, zonal railways coordinate closely with forest departments to investigate elephant-hit incidents and impose speed restrictions at identified locations. Train crews and station masters are regularly sensitised through meetings with forest officials. Over the past five years, the Railways have reported an average of around 16 elephant-train collision incidents annually.
Infrastructure interventions include the construction of underpasses and ramps at identified elephant movement zones, installation of fencing along vulnerable track sections, and placement of signage boards at elephant corridors to warn loco pilots in advance. Vegetation and edible items near tracks within railway land are also being cleared to discourage animal movement.
Other measures include solar-powered LED lighting in forest areas, deployment of elephant trackers by forest departments to provide advance alerts, and the installation of Honey Bee buzzer devices at level crossings. The sound from these devices acts as a deterrent to keep elephants away from tracks.
The Railways are also piloting thermal vision cameras to detect wild animals on straight tracks during night-time or low-visibility conditions, further enhancing safety for both wildlife and train operations.
The multi-layered approach reflects the government’s effort to balance infrastructure expansion with wildlife conservation, particularly in ecologically sensitive regions intersected by railway networks.
