Lok Sabha Question No. 797 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Safety of Animals on Railway Tracks
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Thiru Dr. S Jagathratchakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 797

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026

## SAFETY OF ANIMALS ON RAILWAY TRACKS

## 797. SHRI S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government is aware that seven elephants were killed in Assam after being struck by a passenger train and if so, details thereof;
- (b) whether similar incidents involving wildlife being hit by trains have been reported during the last five years and if so, the detail thereof, year and
- State-wise; and
- (c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to ensure the safety of animals on railway tracks?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (c)  The  Ministry  of  Railways,  in  coordination  with  Ministry  of Environment,  Forest  &  Climate  Change,  has  taken  several  protection measures to prevent elephant hitting on railway tracks, which are as under:
- (i)  One  of  the  innovative  measures  taken  is  development  of  AI-enabled Intrusion  Detection  System  (IDS)  for  detecting  presence  of  elephants  on Railway  tracks  using  Distributed  Acoustic  Sensors  (DAS).  The  system components include Optical Fibre, hardware and pre-installed signatures of elephant  locomotion.  The  system  is  designed  to  generate  alerts  for  loco pilots, station masters and Control Room about the movement of elephants in proximity of railway tracks, for taking timely preventive action.

Presently,  IDS  system  is  working  over  141  Rkms  on  critical  &  vulnerable locations identified by forest department in Northeast Frontier Railway.

Works  of  IDS  have  also  been  sanctioned  for  identified  corridors  across Indian  Railways  covering  NFR  (403.42  Rkms),  ECOR  (368.70  Rkms),  SR (55.85 Rkms), NR (52 Rkms), SER (55 Rkms), NER (99.18 Rkms), WR (115 Rkms) & ECR (20.3 Rkms).

- (ii)  In  case of any hitting incidence of elephant with train, Zonal Railways investigate  the  matter  in  close  coordination  with  Forest  department  and takes  immediate  steps  accordingly.  These  include  imposition  of  suitable speed restrictions at identified locations and alerting train crews as well as station  masters.  Regular  meetings  with  concerned  forest  officials  are conducted to update and sensitize the train crew. In the past five years, an average about 16 incidents have been reported.
- (iii) Construction of underpasses and ramps for the movement of elephants at identified locations.
- (iv)  Installation of suitable fencing along tracks in vulnerable locations to discourage elephants from approaching towards railway lines.
- (v)  Provision  of  signage boards at all identified  elephant corridors to prewarn the loco pilots.
- (vi) Clearance of vegetation and edible items surrounding the track within railway land.
- (vii) Providing LED lights with a solar system in forest area.

(viii)  Deployment  of  elephant  trackers  engaged  by  Forest  Department  for timely action by alerting station master and loco pilots, are taken.

(ix)  To  prevent  the  movement  of  wild  animals/  elephants  near  railway tracks, innovative Honey Bee buzzer devices have been installed at level crossings.  The  sound  created  by  this  device  acts  as  a  repellent  to  move elephants away from railway track. (x) Thermal vision camera is also being tried for detecting presence of wild animals on straight track during night/poor visibility which alerts loco pilots for presence of wild animals.

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