9,481 elephant crossings, zero deaths: How AI made one railway stretch safe
Picture the forest at night. A herd that has walked this route for generations moves toward a railway line that came much later. The elephants’ memory of the path is older than the rails.
For decades, the only warning a driver got was the headlight. A loaded train can need around 1.6 km to stop after emergency braking, according to a loco-pilots’ association in 2024. By the time a driver spots a herd in the beam, it is often too late.
The stakes are high across the country. India has an estimated 22,446 wild elephants, nearly 60% of the world’s wild Asian population, and 150 identified corridors where they travel. Government data shared in Parliament in July 2025 put train-collision deaths at 81 over five years.
The stretch that decided to try something different
The Madukkarai Forest Range, near Coimbatore, sits on one of those routes. The Tamil Nadu Forest...
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