AI System Deployed to Prevent Elephant Collisions on Rail Tracks

The system uses Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) to detect elephant movement near railway tracks and generate real-time alerts to loco pilots, station masters and control rooms, enabling timely preventive action.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said tenders have also been awarded for extending the technology to an additional 981 RKms across the national network, taking total planned coverage to 1,122 RKms.

The AI-based IDS identifies vibrations and sound signatures associated with elephant movement. These alerts help train operators slow down or halt trains before potential collisions, a longstanding challenge in forested regions, especially in Assam and North Bengal.

The Minister also outlined several artificial intelligence and machine-learning based maintenance initiatives underway across Indian Railways:

* AI predictive maintenance for signalling systems, including early-warning failure alerts.

* Online Monitoring of Rolling Stock (OMRS) and Wheel Impact Load Detectors (WILD) for real-time rolling stock health assessment.

* Machine Vision Inspection System (MVIS), being inducted through an MoU with DFCCIL, using AI/ML to spot hanging parts or missing components in moving trains.

* Automatic Wheel Profile Measurement System (AWPMS), introduced with DMRC, for non-contact, real-time measurement of wheel geometry and wear.

The Railways Minister said continuous technological upgrades are central to improving safety and reliability. The expansion of AI-based wildlife protection and diagnostic systems reflects an effort to modernise operations while integrating sustainability and predictive maintenance into core railway functions.