Assam train tragedy: 'AI warning system could have stopped jumbo deaths'; Rajdhani Express kills 7 elephants

SANGJURAI: The tragic death of seven elephants, struck by the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express in Sangjurai, Assam, has highlighted the urgent need for an intrusion detection system (IDS) in vulnerable elephant movement areas. The incident occurred in one of the most rural yet paddy cultivation regions of Hojai district, central Assam, where an IDS could have potentially averted the collision.

Currently, IDS is being deployed in elephant corridors across the country, including in the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zones. However, Kampur, the area most affected by human-elephant conflicts and under which Sangjurai falls, has yet to receive this technology despite its severe impact.


Approximately 30 kilometers from the incident site, between Hawaipur and Lumding, an AI-enabled IDS is operational in a designated elephant corridor to prevent such collisions. Following the Sangjurai incident, railway officials emphasized that the presence of IDS could have prevented the tragedy. The system, implemented in the state over the past two years, enforces a speed limit of 30 kmph in areas where it operates.

“About 70 km of rail track in Assam is currently covered under IDS. IDS was not installed in Sangjurai,” confirmed NF Railway CPRO KK Sharma. He said plans are underway to extend IDS coverage to more vulnerable areas within the NF Railway zone. Sharma explained that IDS is primarily installed in notified elephant corridors to detect the presence of elephants near railway tracks.

“IDS has been installed in this particular area, from Hawaipur to Lumding, which is a designated elephant corridor. But this (Sangjurai) incident took place about 30 km away from the elephant corridor,” Sharma said. He added that the incident occurred in a location where tracks are on a high bank, asserting that elephant movement is not frequent there.

However, local villagers reported regular elephant movement through the incident site, especially between Nov and Jan, as elephants feed on paddy.

Conservationists stress the importance of IDS but also advocate for a coordinated system to track elephant movements comprehensively.

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