Jalpaiguri, October 20 (Siliguri Chronicle) – The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has introduced an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) along railway tracks that pass through forest areas and elephant corridors to prevent train collisions with animals.
Over the past two decades, more than 70 elephants have been killed in north Bengal after being hit by trains. The most recent incident occurred on September 24, when a train fatally struck an elephant near Mongpong in the Kalimpong forest division.
The new IDS system is designed to help the railways improve safety while protecting wildlife and maintaining smooth train operations.
“The IDS uses advanced optical fibre sensing technology to detect elephant movement near tracks, generating real-time alerts for train drivers and control rooms to take timely preventive action,” said Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the NFR chief public
relations officer.
A railway official said the system is installed parallel to the tracks, about 10 metres away. When an animal approaches, it automatically sends a signal to the train’s loco pilot and the nearest station, alerting them to take preventive action.
The official said trial runs of the IDS have been successfully completed in four key sections of the NFR. These include the Madarihat–Nagrakata stretch in Alipurduar division of Bengal, and three sections in Assam — Habaipur–Lamsakhang–Patharkhola–Lumding in Lumding division, Kamakhya–Azara–Mirza in Rangiya division, and Titabar–Mariani–Nakachari in Tinsukia division.
“These pilot installations cover 64.03km of elephant corridors so far. It will cover about 147km by April 2026,” the official added.
The Siliguri–Alipurduar railway stretch is among the most wildlife-sensitive corridors, especially after its conversion from meter to broad gauge in 2004. The line passes through protected areas including the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Gorumara National Park, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, and Buxa Tiger Reserve.
Animesh Bose, programme coordinator of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation, welcomed the initiative.
The forest department has also imposed speed restrictions on trains running through forested areas to further protect wildlife.
