What happened: measures on elephant-prone railway stretches and a reported decline in train-hit deaths

The Government of India announced steps to reduce elephant deaths along railway corridors by combining survey-based identification of sensitive stretches, structural mitigation at identified locations, technology-based detection and alerts for train operations, and joint investigation of elephant-related train collisions with State Forest Departments.

The Government’s announcement provided the following figures and measures: Joint surveys covered 127 sensitive railway stretches spanning 3,452.4 km.Mitigation recommendations covered 77 stretches across 14 States, spanning 1,965.2 km.Recommended mitigation measures involve 705 structures such as underpasses, overpasses, ramps, level crossings, and bridge modifications.Technology support includes optical-fibre-based intrusion detection, seismic sensors, and thermal cameras.AI-enabled Distributed Acoustic Sensing systems (sensor networks using optical fibres to detect acoustic signals) provide real-time alerts to loco pilots (train drivers), station masters, and control rooms.Every elephant-involved train collision is jointly investigated with the concerned State Forest Department.

The Government attributed a decline in train-hit elephant deaths to sustained interventions: train-hit elephant deaths reportedly fell from 26 in 2013 to 12 in 2024, described as a decline of more than 50 percent.

Background and earlier position: identifying sensitive stretches along railway corridors

Rail corridors with elephant movement patterns create collision risk when elephants enter or cross tracks near forest–rail corridor zones. A common planning approach is to first identify and map “sensitive stretches” and then apply targeted mitigation, including physical engineering changes and detection/alert systems. The Government’s announcement states that joint surveys were used to identify 127 sensitive stretches spanning 3,452.4 km.

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