AI-powered alert system prevents 1200 jumbo deaths in 1 year in Assam train accidents: NFR official

In a significant development aimed at safeguarding elephants in Assam, a remarkable achievement has been made in one year, with as many as 1200 elephants deaths averted. This success can be attributed to the implementation of an innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution to detect elephant movements along railway tracks. It is called the Intrusion Detection System (IDS).

The IDS operates alongside the railway tracks and plays a vital role in protecting elephants. Whenever an elephant or a herd of elephants is anywhere near the tracks, loco pilots, station masters and the field level staff get a warning and which helps them control the trains. This timely alert system has proven effective in managing train movements and preventing collisions with elephants.

Speaking exclusively to Northeast Live, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Sabyasachi De said ” Northeast Frontier Railway has become one of the leading zones in the country where the railways have adopted the artificial intelligence-based method to detect elephants crossing the railway track. It is called the ‘Intrusion Detection System’. The IDS works along the railway alignment along the linear infrastructure, whenever an elephant approaches the tracks, loco pilots, the station masters in that area and the field-level staff get a warning and the moment they get it we are controlling trains. This is the foremost reason why the casualty has gone down. In the last year, the number of deaths which have been prevented due to this system is 1200.”

In a big move to prevent the deaths of the elephants in train accidents, the Railway Ministry has allocated a substantial fund of Rs 80 crore for covering up 100 per cent of the elephant corridors in the Northeast.

“This is a successful model and it has been done in a pilot phase. The Lumding Habaipur section of Lumding division and in Alipurduar division that comes in West Bengal is an important elephant corridor called the Dooars area, it is the Chalsa- Hasimara section of Alipurduwar division and it is a hundred percent success, zero casualties, no false alerts and there are no negative alerts also. It is so successful that the other zones are also copying us and the Railway Ministry has given us the excess sanction of around 80 crores for covering 100 per cent of the elephant corridors in the Northeast. So in the next two years, all the elephant corridors will be covered by IDS to protect the elephants,” added CPRO De.

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