T’puram: The AI-driven elephant intrusion system from the Palakkad to Madukkarai stretch is yet to take off, even as most of the installation of sensors and communication equipment is over. The system was supposed to be commissioned by Dec 2024. Sources say that more trials and certifications are needed before it is launched. The route on the state border connecting Palakkad and Coimbatore is vulnerable to elephant crossings. The system will detect the presence of elephants on railway tracks using distributed acoustic sensors (DAS). The components include optical fibre, hardware and pre-installed signatures of elephant movement. The system is designed to generate alerts for loco pilots, station masters and the control room about the movement of elephants in proximity to railway tracks. In the Palakkad division, where it is being implemented, it is designed to send alerts to station masters in the Walayar-Kanjikode section on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. It will also send alerts to locomotives of approaching trains, and the station master will also alert the loco pilot using wireless communication. This stretch is vulnerable to the movement of elephants, as the line passes through a forest. It is also a crucial stretch because it is part of the main line that connects Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and a large number of trains pass through it daily. Railways imposed speed restrictions on trains and installed solar fencing, lights, signboards for loco pilots, AI-assisted cameras, and conventional foot patrolling as preventive measures. The forest department also issues periodic alerts about the presence of elephant herds near the railway line. The elephant trackers of the department keep track of the movement of herds near railway tracks so that additional precautions can be taken.
