Movement of about a dozen long-distance express trains was temporarily halted on Saturday to ensure safe passage to a herd of 22 wild elephants under the Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway. According to officials, the railway acted promptly after field officials reported movement of elephants near the railway track close to the Jharkhand-Odisha border between Birsa and D cabin section since late Friday night and stopped movement of the trains for 3-4 hours in gaps till the herd crossed over safely early on Saturday morning.
In a remarkable demonstration of its commitment to wildlife conservation and operational safety, Chakradharpur Division temporarily halted the movement of trains between Bisra and D Cabin section on November 1 to ensure the safe passage of a herd of 22 elephants, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (CKP division) of South Eastern Railway, Aditya Kumar Choudhary said.
“No sooner did we receive a report about the movement of 22 elephants near the rail track, train operations were temporarily suspended to prevent any untoward incident, underscoring Indian Railways’ proactive approach towards ensuring harmonious coexistence between wildlife and rail operations,” he said.
During the period, the trains detained included 18113 (Tatanagar-Bilaspur Express), 12810 (Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail), 12102 (Jnaneswari Express) and 12130 (Azad Hind Express).
The trains on the down track regulated were 12261 (CSMT-Howrah AC Duronto Express), 12809 (Mumbai CSMT-Howrah Mail), 08869 (NSC Bose Itwari-Jaynagar Special Fare Festival Special), 18114 (Bilaspur-Tatanagar Express), 18190 (Ernakulam-Tatanagar Express), 13352 (Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express), 18029 (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Shalimar Express) and 12129 (Azad Hind Express), an official statement said. The Chakradharpur division is one of the areas where the railways are planning to install AI-enabled Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to provide real-time alerts about elephant movement, further enhancing safety measures.
Earlier in June this year, a train in Jharkhand stopped for two hours, waiting for an Elephant to deliver her calf near the railway track, an act that symbolised “harmonious” co-existence of humans and animals.
Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav had shared the video on his X account, praising the driver and the railway authorities. The train operator patiently waited for two hours, and when the elephant delivered her calf, she “walked on happily”. Yadav said the railways and the environment ministry have identified 110 sensitive spots after surveying 3,500 km of railway tracks in the country. “It is lovely to see the efforts producing such heart-warming results,” the minister said.
