An AI-powered system alerted a train driver to an elephant herd crossing the tracks in Assam, allowing him to stop in time and prevent a collision with approximately 60 elephants. This system is being implemented in other elephant corridors after successfully saving hundreds of elephants in the past.
In Assam, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered safety system assisted in stopping a train during a nighttime elephant herd crossing the tracks. At 8:30 p.m. on October 16, Kamrup Express train driver JD Das and his helper Umesh Kumar noticed a herd of elephants crossing the railroad rails between the stations of Hawaipur and Lamsakhang. The train was traveling to Lumding from Guwahati.
When they noticed the elephants, they engaged the emergency brakes, preventing the train from hitting with about 60 wild elephants. The AI-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) installed in this stretch of the railroad lines was the first to notify the two guys.
Incredible sight ! A big shout-out to Loco Pilot Das and Assistant Loco Pilot Umesh Kumar of the 15959 Kamrup Express for their swift and heroic action on 16th October in saving a herd of about 60 elephants crossing the railway tracks between Habaipur and Lamsakhang by applying… pic.twitter.com/otfQ3nwjDJ
— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias)This technique will be progressively implemented in all other elephant corridors that fall under the purview of the East Central Railways. In the past, this approach has proved effective in saving the lives of elephants that had gotten into railroad tracks. 414 elephants were saved by the East Central Railways in 2023, and 383 elephants have been saved between January till October 16 of this year.