chances of an elephant encountering a train when crossing the railway. Also, broad
gauge allows trains to reach higher velocities, making it harder for elephants to
avoid a moving train. In fact, after gauge conversion, the maximum speed of trains
Fig. 10.5 Locations of elephant–train accidents in northern West Bengal between 1974 and 2002
(upper panel, a) when meter gauge was in operation (pink stars indicate locations where accidents
occurred), and during 2004–2015 (lower panel, b), after broad gauge conversion (red stars
indicate locations where accidents occurred)
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