Indian Railways has expanded the use of an artificial intelligence-based intrusion detection system to reduce wildlife collisions, particularly along elephant-prone railway corridors.
The system uses AI-enabled cameras along with a Distributed Acoustic System (DAS) to detect animal movement close to railway tracks. Once movement is identified, real-time alerts are sent to loco pilots, station masters and control rooms, giving drivers advance warning of up to 0.5 km to slow down or stop trains if required.
The technology has already been deployed along a 141-km stretch of the Northeast Frontier Railway, where officials said it has shown positive results. Following this, the Railways has awarded additional tenders to extend the system to another 981 km of vulnerable routes.
With the planned expansion, the total length covered under the AI-based intrusion detection system will increase to 1,122 route kilometres across the railway network.
Officials said the move is part of sustained efforts to cut down wildlife fatalities, especially elephant deaths, which have long been a concern on forested railway sections. The use of technology, they added, is expected to improve both animal safety and train operations in sensitive areas.
Indian Railways said the expansion underlines its commitment to wildlife conservation while maintaining safe and efficient train services on ecologically sensitive routes.