Indian Railways Deploys AI System To Prevent Elephant Deaths

Indian Railways has introduced an artificial intelligence-enabled Intrusion Detection System to prevent accidents involving elephants on railway tracks, addressing a long-standing wildlife safety concern. The initiative aims to reduce elephant fatalities in forested and wildlife-sensitive regions where railway lines intersect traditional elephant corridors.

AI-Enabled Intrusion Detection System Explained

The system has been developed by the Indian Railways in coordination with the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change. It uses Distributed Acoustic Sensors installed along optical fibre cables laid near railway tracks. These sensors are pre-fed with acoustic signatures of elephant movement, enabling the system to detect elephant locomotion close to tracks with high precision.

Real-Time Alerts And Operational Coverage

Once elephant movement is detected, the system generates real-time alerts for loco pilots, station masters, and railway control rooms, allowing trains to slow down or halt in time. The Intrusion Detection System is currently operational over 141 route kilometres in critical locations under the Northeast Frontier Railway. Further expansion has been sanctioned across multiple railway zones, including East Coast, Southern, Northern, South Eastern, North Eastern, Western, and East Central Railways, covering several hundred additional route kilometres.

Coordination With Forest Authorities

Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha that railway zones investigate elephant-train collisions jointly with forest departments. Immediate mitigation steps include speed restrictions in sensitive sections, issuing alerts to train crews, and holding regular coordination meetings with wildlife officials. On average, around 16 elephant-related train accidents have been reported annually over the past five years.

Important Facts for Exams

• Distributed Acoustic Sensors are used for detecting elephant movement near tracks.
• The AI system is currently operational in Northeast Frontier Railway.
• Indian Railways coordinates with forest departments on wildlife safety.
• Elephant corridors are ecologically sensitive zones intersected by rail lines.

Additional Wildlife Mitigation Measures

Beyond AI-based detection, Indian Railways has adopted multiple safety measures such as constructing underpasses and ramps for elephant crossings, installing fencing and warning signage, clearing vegetation near tracks, and setting up solar-powered LED lighting in forest areas. Other innovations include honey bee buzzer devices that repel elephants, deployment of elephant trackers by forest departments, and trials of thermal vision cameras to detect animals during night or low-visibility conditions.