Indian Railways uses AI to prevent elephant-train collisions
Indian Railways is now using AI to help protect elephants from train accidents.
Special sensors along the tracks spot elephants nearby and instantly alert train drivers, giving them time to slow down or stop.
Thanks to this tech, in some regions, deaths have dropped from dozens annually to nearly zero after the technology was introduced, and some areas haven't seen any fatalities at all.
How does it actually work?
The system uses acoustic sensors in fiber optic cables that pick up vibrations from elephants as far as 20 meters away.
Once detected, AI quickly analyzes the signals and sends real-time alerts straight to train crews and control rooms—so trains can react before it's too late.
What's changed—and what's next?
So far, this setup covers over 140km in Assam and West Bengal, with additional pilot stretches in Tamil Nadu.
It's made a real difference: for example, Madukkarai has had over 6,500 safe crossings since last November with zero elephant deaths.
Indian Railways plans to roll out this technology across more than 1,100km soon—meaning even safer journeys for both wildlife and people.