The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Palakkad Division, Arun Kumar Chaturvedi, inspected the ongoing implementation of the elephant intrusion detection system (EIDS) in the Kottekkad – Madukkarai section, a vulnerable stretch spanning Kerala and Tamil Nadu that has recorded wild elephant movements onto railway tracks.

The EIDS is an initiative of Palakkad Division, Southern Railway, aimed at preventing elephant intrusions and enhancing the safety of both wildlife and train operations. It integrates an optical fibre–based sensing network with artificial intelligence–driven analytical modules to detect the presence and movement of elephants in real time. The system covers all identified elephant corridors along both the A and B lines of the section.

Installation of the system has been completed on both the A Line and the B Line. At present, signal validation, fine‑tuning, and systematic reduction of unconfirmed (spurious) alarms are in progress. Pre-commissioning activities are targeted for completion by July 30.

Using distributed acoustic sensing, sensors along the tracks capture vibration signatures (such as characteristic elephant footfall patterns) and relay data to the Distributed Acoustic Sensing unit located at Walayar. The AI engine and reference databases then localise any confirmed elephant presence to the exact kilometre.

Verified alerts will be relayed without delay to the Station Masters of stations concerned, Divisional Control Office, Palakkad Division, any level crossings between the stations, and locomotive pilots via dedicated display and alert interfaces, enabling timely operational responses to avert incidents. The estimated project cost is ₹15.42 crore, fully funded by the Railways.

During the visit, the DRM also inspected protection measures in the section, including solar fencing, rail fencing, clearance of vegetation on both sides of the track, and the functioning of railway‑constructed elephant underpasses.