7500 stations (Indian Railways 2014). In 2015–2016, IR transported more than
22,000,000 passengers and 3,000,000 tons of freight daily (Indian Railways 2015).
Furthermore, the Indian Railway network cuts across various forested landscapes,
and its impact on wildlife and their habitats has been a matter of increasing concern,
although there are few studies on the subject. Direct as well as indirect impacts of
the railways have exacerbated over the years with the expansion of the rail network,
gauge conversion, and increases in frequency and speed of trains to meet the needs
of a modernizing society and an increasing population. A number of larger mammalian species including gaur (Bos gaurus), rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis),
sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), sloth bear
(Melursus ursinus), leopard (Panthera pardus), lion (Pathera leo) and tiger
(Panthera tigris) have been killed in collision with trains (MOEF 2010; Raman
2011; Dasgupta and Ghosh 2015).
Ironically, the mascot of the Indian Railways, the Asian elephant (Elephas
maximus), has itself been a frequent victim of train collisions (Singh et al. 2001;
Sarma et al. 2006; Roy et al. 2009), which is a cause of conservation and safety
concerns. Railway tracks pass through elephant habitat in several Indian states,
including Assam, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Odisha, Kerala and Tamil
Nadu, with accidents resulting in more than 200 elephant deaths between 1987 and
2015. Train–elephant collisions have been common along railway lines such as
the Siliguri–Alipurduar line in northern West Bengal (Roy et al. 2009), Guwahati–
Lumding line in Assam and Meghalaya (Sarma et al. 2006), Haridwar–Dehradun
line in Uttarakhand (Singh et al. 2001), and Coimbatore–Thrissur line in Tamil
Nadu and Kerala (Jha et al. 2014). Railway–elephant collisions have also occurred
along the Delhi–Howrah line within Jharkhand state (see news report, The Times of
India, 02.08.2013), and the Kharagpur–Adra railway line in southern West Bengal
(West Bengal Forest Department 2013). To give an idea of the numbers of accidents involving elephants along these tracks, 18 elephant deaths were recorded at
Rajaji National Park, Uttarkhand, between 1987 and 2001 (Singh et al. 2001),
35 deaths in Assam from 1987 to 2006 (Sarma et al.2006), 16 in Odisha (Palai et al.
2013) and 13 elephant deaths in Tamil Nadu between 2002 and 2013 (Jha et al.
2014). However, the Siliguri Alipurduar track in northern West Bengal has witnessed the highest numbers of elephant deaths in train collisions; while 27 deaths
were recorded between 1974 and 2002, the figure rose to 65 between 2004 and
2015 (Roy et al. 2009; Dasgupta and Ghosh 2015; Roy and Sukumar 2016).
As northern West Bengal is a “hotspot” of train–elephant collisions, we carried
out a case study of this phenomenon with the following objectives: (1) mapping the
locations of collisions and generating a susceptibility map showing locations prone
to accidents; (2) understanding patterns in accidents involving elephants; (3) mapping elephant crossing points and their movement paths along the railway track; and
(4) providing suggestions for reducing the incidence of accidents.
10 Railways and Wildlife: A Case Study …
159
22,000,000 passengers and 3,000,000 tons of freight daily (Indian Railways 2015).
Furthermore, the Indian Railway network cuts across various forested landscapes,
and its impact on wildlife and their habitats has been a matter of increasing concern,
although there are few studies on the subject. Direct as well as indirect impacts of
the railways have exacerbated over the years with the expansion of the rail network,
gauge conversion, and increases in frequency and speed of trains to meet the needs
of a modernizing society and an increasing population. A number of larger mammalian species including gaur (Bos gaurus), rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis),
sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), sloth bear
(Melursus ursinus), leopard (Panthera pardus), lion (Pathera leo) and tiger
(Panthera tigris) have been killed in collision with trains (MOEF 2010; Raman
2011; Dasgupta and Ghosh 2015).
Ironically, the mascot of the Indian Railways, the Asian elephant (Elephas
maximus), has itself been a frequent victim of train collisions (Singh et al. 2001;
Sarma et al. 2006; Roy et al. 2009), which is a cause of conservation and safety
concerns. Railway tracks pass through elephant habitat in several Indian states,
including Assam, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Odisha, Kerala and Tamil
Nadu, with accidents resulting in more than 200 elephant deaths between 1987 and
2015. Train–elephant collisions have been common along railway lines such as
the Siliguri–Alipurduar line in northern West Bengal (Roy et al. 2009), Guwahati–
Lumding line in Assam and Meghalaya (Sarma et al. 2006), Haridwar–Dehradun
line in Uttarakhand (Singh et al. 2001), and Coimbatore–Thrissur line in Tamil
Nadu and Kerala (Jha et al. 2014). Railway–elephant collisions have also occurred
along the Delhi–Howrah line within Jharkhand state (see news report, The Times of
India, 02.08.2013), and the Kharagpur–Adra railway line in southern West Bengal
(West Bengal Forest Department 2013). To give an idea of the numbers of accidents involving elephants along these tracks, 18 elephant deaths were recorded at
Rajaji National Park, Uttarkhand, between 1987 and 2001 (Singh et al. 2001),
35 deaths in Assam from 1987 to 2006 (Sarma et al.2006), 16 in Odisha (Palai et al.
2013) and 13 elephant deaths in Tamil Nadu between 2002 and 2013 (Jha et al.
2014). However, the Siliguri Alipurduar track in northern West Bengal has witnessed the highest numbers of elephant deaths in train collisions; while 27 deaths
were recorded between 1974 and 2002, the figure rose to 65 between 2004 and
2015 (Roy et al. 2009; Dasgupta and Ghosh 2015; Roy and Sukumar 2016).
As northern West Bengal is a “hotspot” of train–elephant collisions, we carried
out a case study of this phenomenon with the following objectives: (1) mapping the
locations of collisions and generating a susceptibility map showing locations prone
to accidents; (2) understanding patterns in accidents involving elephants; (3) mapping elephant crossing points and their movement paths along the railway track; and
(4) providing suggestions for reducing the incidence of accidents.
10 Railways and Wildlife: A Case Study …
159