Indian Railways (IR) is committed to the protection of elephants and other wildlife animals. To address this, several protective measures have been implemented, including:

(i) The development of an AI-enabled Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that uses Distributed Acoustic Sensors (DAS) to detect the presence of elephants on railway tracks. The system includes optical fiber, hardware, and pre-installed signatures of elephant locomotion. It alerts loco pilots, station masters, and the Control Room about elephant movement near tracks, allowing timely preventive action. Currently, the IDS system is operational over 141 Rkms at critical locations in Northeast Frontier Railway, and its effectiveness in elephant protection has been confirmed.

Additionally, the IDS system is being expanded to cover 1,158 Rkms across multiple corridors, including NFR, ECOR, SR, NR, SER, NER, WR, and ECR, with an investment of Rs. 208 crore. Installation is ongoing in ECOR (349.4 Rkm), SR (55.85 Rkm), and NER (36 Rkm).

(ii) In case of an elephant collision, zonal railways investigate the incident in coordination with the Forest Department and take necessary actions, including imposing speed restrictions and alerting train crews and station masters. Regular meetings with forest officials ensure continuous updates and sensitization for the train crew.

(iii) Other measures include constructing underpasses and ramps for elephant movement, installing fencing along tracks, and providing signage at elephant corridors to alert loco pilots. Vegetation clearance, solar-powered LED lights in forest areas, and deploying elephant trackers by the Forest Department further support these efforts.

(ix) Innovative Honey Bee buzzer devices have been installed at level crossings to repel elephants, while thermal vision cameras are being tested for detecting wild animals during poor visibility.

As a result, elephant deaths have decreased by more than 50%, from 26 in 2013 to 12 in 2024. This information was shared by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, in the Rajya Sabha.

Source/PIB