drivers also reported that many animals in the vicinity of the railway rarely seemed
to react to passing trains. Flight behaviour was not often observed, but if flight was
initiated by the train or by warning signals (horn), the animals sometimes fled ahead
of the train and along the rail (see also Rea et al. 2010; Child 1983). Animals
sometimes even walked up on to the railway track as the train approached, presumably to gain speed during flight (Child 1983).
Most train drivers (90%) were concerned about damage to the train, traffic
delays, and unnecessary suffering and non-fatal injuries to the animals. Many drivers considered WTC to be a severe working environment issue because of the
psychological stress they cause. Since train drivers are not able to slow down or
stop the train to avoid a collision, their only options are to use the horn or flash the
headlights in order to alert animals. However, most drivers disagreed about whether
these measures are effective.
Collision Statistics
About 2,500–3,000 collision reports were issued every year from 2001–2010,
including, on average, 1,070 moose, 1,336 roe deer and 994 other large mammals
killed or injured annually (since accidents may involve more than one individual;
Fig. 17.1). The number of unreported cases and undetected incidents is not known,
but is assumed to be large and more pronounced in the smaller and lighter species.
Since 2001, accident reports on roe deer and moose have increased by about 2.5%
per year, despite decreasing hunting statistics that suggest smaller populations. The
trend in WTC reflects trends in wildlife-accident numbers on roads (Seiler 2011).
This follows both a similar diurnal pattern to road accidents with most collisions
occurring during dusk and dawn, and a similar seasonal pattern with most accidents
reported during autumn and winter (Neumann et al. 2012; Borda-de-Água et al.
2014; Rolandsen 2015). Likewise, as on roads (Seiler and Helldin 2006; Jacobson
et al. 2016), WTCs were more frequent on railways with intermediate traffic volumes (50–150 trains per day) and less frequent on both calmer and busier tracks.
Overall, wildlife collisions on railways and roads seem to share many characteristics and patterns. However, collisions with moose appeared to be twice as
frequent per kilometer of railway (and with roe deer slightly more frequent) than on
public roads, suggesting that railways may be more dangerous than roads on
average. We assume that this may be related to the relatively long intervals between
trains; animals may be deterred less often by railway traffic and use railway tracks
more readily than roads, because trains pass by less often.
In Sweden, WTCs are reported by train drivers not as an actual GPS position,
but as incidents occurring between two consecutive nodes in the railway network.
Thus, WTCs contain no point statistics, but rather frequencies related to a given
section of railway. These sections average 8 km, but range from a few hundred
meters to 53 km. A total of 1,377 sections longer than 1 km were included in the
study. On average, during 2001–2011, annual reports yielded 0.79 moose and 1.09
17 Wildlife Deterrent Methods for Railways—An Experimental Study
281
to react to passing trains. Flight behaviour was not often observed, but if flight was
initiated by the train or by warning signals (horn), the animals sometimes fled ahead
of the train and along the rail (see also Rea et al. 2010; Child 1983). Animals
sometimes even walked up on to the railway track as the train approached, presumably to gain speed during flight (Child 1983).
Most train drivers (90%) were concerned about damage to the train, traffic
delays, and unnecessary suffering and non-fatal injuries to the animals. Many drivers considered WTC to be a severe working environment issue because of the
psychological stress they cause. Since train drivers are not able to slow down or
stop the train to avoid a collision, their only options are to use the horn or flash the
headlights in order to alert animals. However, most drivers disagreed about whether
these measures are effective.
Collision Statistics
About 2,500–3,000 collision reports were issued every year from 2001–2010,
including, on average, 1,070 moose, 1,336 roe deer and 994 other large mammals
killed or injured annually (since accidents may involve more than one individual;
Fig. 17.1). The number of unreported cases and undetected incidents is not known,
but is assumed to be large and more pronounced in the smaller and lighter species.
Since 2001, accident reports on roe deer and moose have increased by about 2.5%
per year, despite decreasing hunting statistics that suggest smaller populations. The
trend in WTC reflects trends in wildlife-accident numbers on roads (Seiler 2011).
This follows both a similar diurnal pattern to road accidents with most collisions
occurring during dusk and dawn, and a similar seasonal pattern with most accidents
reported during autumn and winter (Neumann et al. 2012; Borda-de-Água et al.
2014; Rolandsen 2015). Likewise, as on roads (Seiler and Helldin 2006; Jacobson
et al. 2016), WTCs were more frequent on railways with intermediate traffic volumes (50–150 trains per day) and less frequent on both calmer and busier tracks.
Overall, wildlife collisions on railways and roads seem to share many characteristics and patterns. However, collisions with moose appeared to be twice as
frequent per kilometer of railway (and with roe deer slightly more frequent) than on
public roads, suggesting that railways may be more dangerous than roads on
average. We assume that this may be related to the relatively long intervals between
trains; animals may be deterred less often by railway traffic and use railway tracks
more readily than roads, because trains pass by less often.
In Sweden, WTCs are reported by train drivers not as an actual GPS position,
but as incidents occurring between two consecutive nodes in the railway network.
Thus, WTCs contain no point statistics, but rather frequencies related to a given
section of railway. These sections average 8 km, but range from a few hundred
meters to 53 km. A total of 1,377 sections longer than 1 km were included in the
study. On average, during 2001–2011, annual reports yielded 0.79 moose and 1.09
17 Wildlife Deterrent Methods for Railways—An Experimental Study
281