Against the backdrop of the Southern Railway’s stand that reducing speed of trains operated between Palakkad and Podanur was not feasible, rail users in Coimbatore have sought dismantling of the B-railway line inside the forest area and laying of a track adjacent to the A-railway line, for safety of elephants.
Rail enthusiasts have, for long been advocating construction of elevated tracks or large-sized underpasses for elephants at vulnerable locations.
Earlier this month, a female wild elephant was fatally hit by a train near Kanjikode railway crossing in Kerala. It was the second such incident of elephant death on a rail track within a month in the Walayar range of Palakkad forest division. On April 13, another female elephant had died after being fatally hit by a goods train in Walayar range.
Between 2019 and 2021, there were nine elephant deaths in the jurisdiction of Southern Railway. Four of the deaths had occurred in 2021.
The contention of the Railways that diversion of trains through the Palakkad-Pollachi-Coimbatore route was not feasible was not comprehensible, said J. Sathish, rail enthusiast and Director, Kongu Global Forum.
The refrain of the Railways is that trains diverted through this route would have to undergo two reversals, one at Pollachi and another at Palakkad, and that it would take 143 additional minutes of running time. The trains being operated through Walayar Ghats take approximately 62 minutes to travel between Podanur and Palakkad.
This being the case, how then did the Southern Railway extend the UDAY Express to Palakkad via Pollachi, wondered Mr. Sathish. In fact, people in Western Tamil Nadu wanted the Southern Railway to extend the UDAY Express to Palani, the temple town, he added.
“Temporary measures like lighting of track, solar fences, rail under bridge and thermal images to prevent elephant deaths due to trains have yielded some results, but it is not enough,” Mr. Sathish said.
When bullet train track could be built at an elevated level for hundreds of kilometres by Indian Railways, there is no reason why another railway track alongside A- railway line at an elevated level cannot be constructed for safety of elephants, he said.
