Alert Railway Driver Stops Nilgiri Mountain Train To Save 6 Elephants In Middle Of Track

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The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) train, which departed from Mettupalayam nearby on Friday, had to stop in the middle of the track because an elephant herd was blocking it. The train carrying 138 passengers to Coonoor departed Mettupalayam at 7:30 AM and stopped between Hilolgrove and Aderley when the driver spotted five elephants and a calf standing on the track. According to railway sources, elephants walking along the track in search of water throughout the summer have become a common sight.

The alert driver stopped the train and left after half an hour, they said. The Forest department is taking measures to prevent the herd of elephants from crossing the track, railway sources said.

Protecting animals near railway tracks has been a problem for railways in some zones. In 2022 announced, preventative measures to reduce animal fatalities near railway tracks.

Some of the measures include imposition of suitable speed restrictions in identified vulnerable locations, providing signage boards at suitable points to alert train drivers about elephant & other animal presence, provision of fencing at isolated locations, installation of innovative Honey bee sound systems at locations, which are prone to crossing of elephants, construction of underpasses and ramps for the movement of wildlife at identified locations in consultation with Forest officials of the area and Forest Department staff deputed in Railway control offices to liaison with Railway and elephant trackers engaged by Forest Department for timely action by alerting station master and loco pilots.

The zonal railway also put in place cleaning of garbage and removal of wild vegetation along the track, sensitization of Train Crew on a regular basis for frequent whistling at locations prone for cattle/animal runover, construction of fencing/boundary wall at identified locations of trespass by cattle/animal and approaches of major towns, counselling of villagers for taking necessary steps to avoid cattle coming near track through safety seminar/propagandas in villages and avoid dumping of food waste along the railway track to avoid unnecessary congregation of animals near the railway track.

With agency inputs