GUWAHATI, Dec 26: Technology-driven initiatives have helped Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) save lives of over 160 elephants crossing railway tracks in 2025, reaffirming NFR’s strong commitment to wildlife conservation.
Officials informed that a major step in this direction has been the deployment of the Intrusion Detection System (IDS), an advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology utilising Distributed Acoustic System (DAS) principles.
The system detects elephant movement near railway tracks and instantly provides real-time alerts to loco pilots and control rooms, enabling timely preventive action and enhancing operational safety.
The IDS has already been successfully commissioned across key sections of NFR that pass-through elephant corridors.
“Currently, the system is operational in four important sections: the 24-km Kamakhya–Azara–Mirza section under Rangiya Division, 52-km Madarihat–Nagrakata section under Alipurduar Division, 32-km Habaipur–Lamsakhang–Patharkhola–Lumding section under Lumding Division and 23-km Titabar–Mariani–Nakachari section under Tinsukia Division,” an official said.
Together, these installations cover 62.7 km of elephant corridors and 131 km of block sections, significantly improving safety in sensitive wildlife zones.
“Building on this success, IDS installation works are currently underway across multiple divisions, including 92 kilometres in Alipurduar, 25 kilometres in Katihar, 174 km in Rangiya, 110 km in Lumding and 12 km in Tinsukia Division. Upon completion, the system will cover all elephant corridors under NFR, totalling 146.4 km with an overall block section length of 413.42 km, creating a robust and comprehensive safety network,” the official said.
In addition, NFR has adopted innovative preventive measures to reduce train elephant interactions.
“The ‘Plan Bee’ system, installed at vulnerable level crossing gates, uses amplified honey bee sounds audible up to 400 metres to deter elephants from approaching tracks. In coordination with the forest department, NFR has also enhanced safety through real-time information sharing, night time speed restrictions in elephant corridors, temporary speed curbs based on sightings, sensitisation of train crews, installation of cautionary signage and vegetation clearance to improve visibility,” the official added.
