An AI-based surveillance system called the Intrusion Detection System (IDS) has successfully eliminated elephant deaths due to train collisions in 11 elephant corridors in the northeastern region of India.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) introduced this system in December 2022, with plans to expand its implementation across the entire zone.
Since its launch, the IDS has generated 9,768 alerts between December 2022 and July 2023, averaging 41 alerts per day. When an elephant enters the track area, the system triggers an alert to the train controller, station master, train drivers, and other relevant personnel, allowing them to take necessary precautions.
The pilot project was implemented at a cost of approximately Rs 6 crore.
As a result of the IDS implementation, the 11 corridors where it was deployed have not reported any train-elephant collisions. Train-elephant collisions have been a significant issue in the Northeast Frontier Railway, with an average of 20 elephant deaths annually due to these incidents.
The IDS leverages the optical fiber cable (OFC) laid beneath the tracks for telecommunication and signaling purposes. The system, integrated into the OFC network, detects vibrations when an elephant approaches the track and sends real-time alerts to the division control room and a mobile application. It can detect and locate moving elephants up to 5 meters from the fiber optic cable.
The Northeast region has a total of 80 elephant corridors, and with the IDS's 100% success rate, the railway has decided to expand its implementation to other corridors. The Railway Ministry has allocated Rs 77 crore for this purpose.
The concept for the IDS system originated from Anshul Gupta, the former General Manager of NFR, who learned about the technology during a visit to London 13 years ago. "I experimented it twice, once in 2011 and then in 2016 in different railway divisions but its successful implementation took place only in December 2022 when we launched this project in the 11 corridors," said Gupta. He retired in March 2023.
After successful implementation, the Northeast Frontier Railway received the PMI South Asia Award for Micro Project of the Year, marking the first time any zonal railway under the Ministry of Railways has received this award since its inception in 2009.