In the wake of a tragic accident in Assam that claimed the lives of eight elephants, the Railway Ministry has announced an expansion of its AI-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to cover an additional 981 km of tracks in the northeastern region.
The system, which uses a Distributed Acoustic System (DAS) to detect wildlife near railway lines, has already been piloted over 141 km in the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). The expansion will bring the total coverage to 1,122 km, the ministry said.
The IDS sends real-time alerts to loco pilots, station masters, and control rooms when elephants or other wildlife are detected near tracks, enabling timely preventive action. AI-based cameras will also provide advance warnings up to 0.5 km, safeguarding not just elephants but also lions, tigers, and other animals.
The decision follows the December 20 incident in Changjurai village, Hojai district, where the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, derailing five coaches along with the engine.
Also read: Seven elephants killed after being hit by train in Assam
Sections already equipped with IDS include Madarihat-Nagrakata (Alipurduar division), Habaipur-Lamsakhang-Patharkhola-Lumding (Lumding division), Kamakhya-Azara-Mirza (Rangiya division), and Titabar-Mariani-Nakachari (Tinsukia division).
“The deployment and expansion of the AI-enabled Intrusion Detection System reflects Indian Railways’ commitment to wildlife conservation and safe train operations,” the ministry said, noting that the project is expected to be fully functional across all identified elephant corridors by April 2026.
The Northeast Frontier Railway had first installed the IDS at two locations in 2022 and aims to complete the network-wide rollout next year, preventing further wildlife casualties caused by speeding trains.
Follow us
