Railways to Extend AI-Based System on 981-Km Track in Northeast to Protect Wild Animals

PTI, NEW DELHI, DEC 24, 2025: Days after eight elephants were killed in Assam when a herd crossing the tracks was hit by a Rajdhani Express, the Railway Ministry has announced plans to extend an AI-based system, currently in place to detect the presence of wild animals around rail lines, to a further 981-km stretch in the northeastern region.

The Ministry has announced the award of a tender to install the AI-enabled Intrusion Detection System (IDS). The IDS, which provides early alerts to locomotive pilots in case elephants are near the railway tracks, has already been implemented on a pilot basis in a 141-km section on the Northeast Frontier Railway. This includes areas like Madarihat-Nagrakata under the Alipurduar division, Habaipur-Lamsakhang-Patharkhola-Lumding under the Lumding division, the Kamakhya-Azara-Mirza section under the Rangiya division, and Titabar-Mariani-Nakachari under the Tinsukia division.

The tragic incident took place in the early hours of December 20 when the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express collided with the herd in Changjurai village, Assam’s Hojai district. The collision caused five coaches and the train’s engine to derail.

"Indian Railways has already deployed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled Intrusion Detection System (IDS) using a Distributed Acoustic System (DAS) for detecting the presence of elephants on railway tracks. With the new tender, the total coverage will extend to 1,122 route km," the Ministry said.

Elaborating on the functioning of the IDS, the Ministry stated that the system generates real-time alerts for locomotive pilots, station masters, and control rooms about the movement of elephants near the railway tracks, enabling timely preventive action. In addition to the IDS, AI-based cameras will be installed to alert loco pilots up to 0.5 km in advance, helping protect lions, tigers, and other wild animals, along with elephants.

"Indian Railways has been taking continuous efforts to prevent wildlife casualties, particularly elephants, on railway tracks through technology-based solutions," the Ministry added. "The deployment and expansion of the AI-enabled Intrusion Detection System using the Distributed Acoustic System (DAS) reflect Indian Railways' commitment to wildlife conservation and safe train operations."

On October 20, the Northeast Frontier Railway zone stated that IDS would be rolled out across its network by April 2026 to prevent the deaths of elephants due to speeding trains. The NFR had first installed IDS at two locations in the Lumding and Alipurduar divisions in 2022.

"The target date for completion of this expanded project has been set for April 2026, by which time the system is expected to be fully functional across all identified elephant corridors," the NFR had said.