At least seven elephants were killed and a calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam’s Hojai district early Saturday morning, triggering the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches and disrupting rail services across the Northeast.
Railway officials confirmed that no passengers were injured in the accident, which occurred around 2.17 am at a location approximately 126 kilometres from Guwahati. The stretch where the collision took place is not a designated elephant corridor, according to authorities.
Collision in Early Morning Hours
The New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express, which connects Sairang near Mizoram’s capital Aizawl to Anand Vihar Terminal in Delhi, struck a herd of elephants that had wandered onto the tracks during the early hours. The impact caused the engine and five coaches to derail, officials said.
The loco pilot spotted the herd at the last moment and applied emergency brakes. However, the elephants reportedly moved towards the train instead of away from it, leading to a direct collision.
Forest officials confirmed that seven adult elephants died on the spot, while a calf sustained injuries. Veterinary teams were rushed to the site to provide medical care to the injured animal.
Rail Services Disrupted Across Northeast
The derailment and the presence of elephant carcasses and debris on the tracks led to the suspension of train services to Upper Assam and several parts of the Northeast. Railway authorities immediately dispatched accident relief trains, senior officials, and technical teams to restore normal operations.
Passengers travelling in the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths in other coaches of the same train. Railway officials said that once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to ensure that all passengers can continue their journey safely.
Helpline numbers were issued at Guwahati Railway Station to assist passengers and their families. Railway authorities assured that efforts were underway to clear the tracks and resume services at the earliest.
Not an Elephant Corridor, Officials Say
Authorities clarified that the accident site does not fall within a notified elephant corridor, raising concerns about the increasing frequency of elephant movement outside designated habitats.
Wildlife experts note that habitat fragmentation, shrinking forest cover, and expanding railway infrastructure often force elephants to stray into human-dominated landscapes, including railway lines.
“This incident highlights the unpredictability of elephant movement and the limitations of corridor-based mitigation alone,” a senior forest official said, adding that elephants often follow traditional migratory paths that may not align with officially demarcated corridors.
A Recurring Tragedy
The Assam collision adds to a growing list of train-related elephant deaths across India. Just last month, an adult elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district. In that incident, a calf was found injured beside the tracks.
According to data shared by the Union Environment Ministry in Parliament earlier this year, at least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country over the last five years. The figures cover the period from 2020–21 to 2024–25 and are based on reports submitted by state governments and Union Territories.
The ministry has acknowledged that it does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including those in officially designated elephant corridors.
In another incident cited by the government, three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur–Tatanagar section in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district.
Measures to Prevent Collisions
Railway and environment authorities say they have implemented several preventive measures to reduce train- elephant collisions, particularly in vulnerable stretches.
These measures include imposing speed restrictions in known elephant habitats, installing warning signage, and deploying track monitoring systems. Pilot projects using seismic sensors to detect elephant movement near tracks have also been introduced in select areas.
Infrastructure-based solutions, such as underpasses, ramps, fencing, and barriers, have been constructed at critical points to allow safe animal crossings. However, experts caution that such measures require continuous monitoring and maintenance to remain effective.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in consultation with the Environment Ministry and other stakeholders, has issued detailed guidelines titled Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure. These guidelines aim to help planners design railways, roads, and other infrastructure in ways that minimise human–wildlife conflict.
Focus on Awareness and Training
To strengthen on-ground response, the Railways and the Environment Ministry have conducted capacity-building workshops for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024. These sessions focused on elephant behaviour, conservation strategies, and emergency response protocols.
A comprehensive report titled Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India was prepared after surveys covering 127 railway stretches spanning 3,452 kilometres.
Of these, 77 stretches across 14 states, covering nearly 1,965 kilometres, were identified as high-priority zones requiring urgent mitigation through site-specific interventions.
Call for Long-Term Solutions
Conservationists say the Assam incident underscores the need for long-term, landscape level planning that balances infrastructure expansion with wildlife protection.
“Speed curbs and sensors help, but they cannot replace habitat connectivity and informed route planning,” a wildlife researcher said. “As rail traffic increases, so does the risk unless mitigation keeps pace.”
As authorities work to restore rail services and investigate the circumstances of the collision, the deaths of seven elephants once again highlight the fragile coexistence between India’s expanding transport network and its wildlife.
