Indian Railways has saved 255 elephants from train collisions in the northeast using a mix of artificial intelligence alerts and an unusual trick: the buzz of angry honeybees, according to reports.

The railway’s Gajraj Suraksha system uses optical fibre cables laid beside tracks as giant microphones. A pulse of light travels down the fibre; footsteps nearby disturb it, and artificial intelligence picks out elephant movement.

When a herd is heard, the system alerts loco pilots, station masters and control rooms so trains can slow down or stop while the animals are still on their way.

The Northeast Frontier Railway introduced the system in December 2022 in 11 elephant corridors, five in the Alipurduar division and six in Lumding. The railway says it helped eliminate train-related elephant deaths in those corridors.

Alongside the AI, the railway uses Plan Bee: amplified electronic buzzers installed near level crossings that mimic the sound of swarming bees. Elephants fear bee stings on their sensitive trunks and change route to avoid the sound.

The Railway Minister told the Lok Sabha that the system is operational over 141 route kilometres, with works sanctioned for more than 1,100 route kilometres across several zones.