Forest and Railways Coordination Eliminates Elephant Train Deaths in North Bengal

Intrusion Detection System and joint monitoring credited with success

PTI, February 01, 2026, Kolkata : Coordinated efforts by the West Bengal Forest Department and Railways, along with the commissioning of an Intrusion Detection System (IDS), have resulted in zero incidents of elephant deaths while crossing train tracks in forest reserves and national parks in North Bengal over the past two years, a senior official said on Sunday.

The railway tracks pass through Buxa Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara National Park, Gorumara National Park, and Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary. The official noted that strict joint surveillance and IDS monitoring have led to "zero incidents of train-hit elephant deaths in the past two years."

A joint monitoring committee, consisting of forest officials deployed in railway control rooms, provides real-time updates on elephant movement. Strict speed restrictions in identified elephant corridors have also been implemented.

While between 2004 and 2013 over 50 elephants were killed by trains in the region, and around 30 between 2013 and 2023 along routes such as Madarihat–Hasimara and Rajabhatkhawa–Alipurduar Jn (Buxa), not a single death occurred in the past two years due to enhanced monitoring. High-risk stretches include Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaldapara National Park (Madarihat), and Buxa Tiger Reserve.

“The Railways is commissioning an Intrusion Detection System to coordinate with our officials and loco pilots about any animal presence near tracks,” the official said. Thermal sensors detect elephants on railway tracks in areas like the Madarihat-Nagrakata and Buxa Tiger Reserve sections, with AI-enabled infrared cameras alerting train drivers up to 700–750 metres away, even in darkness, fog, or rain.

Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), North Bengal Bhaskar J V, along with senior officials from Buxa Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara and Gorumara National Parks, and railway representatives, recently reviewed the IDS project. “This review enabled us to assess the efficacy of the IDS,” the official said. Integration of CCTV networks with Railways to track elephant herds in real-time is planned as a pilot project.

The North Bengal initiative is part of a broader, ongoing 1,158-km, Rs 208-crore AI-based project across multiple railway zones aimed at achieving zero jumbo deaths in vulnerable stretches nationwide, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said last month.