Activists have raised concerns over the Supreme Court staying a November 2022 order of the Madras High Court that directed the Southern Railway to reduce speed of trains operating through the forest areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala via Walayar from 45 kmph to 30 kmph.
An official with the Palakkad Division of the Southern Railway confirmed the development and said that night trains started running at 45 kmph after the apex court ordered the stay a few days ago.
According to the official, goods trains, however, were running at 25 kmph on ‘A’ line and 35 kmph on ‘B’ line at night. The speed limit on the stretch during the day for express and goods trains continues to remain at 65 kmph, the official said.
The A and B lines connect Palakkad junction in Kerala and Podanur junction in Tamil Nadu via Walayar. While the A line is generally used for trains running towards Palakkad, the B line is used for trains towards Coimbatore. The A and B lines pass through reserve forest areas for a length of 1.8 km and 2.8 km respectively in Madukkarai forest range in Tamil Nadu.
As per a report by a committee constituted by the Project Elephant Division of the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, a total of 24 elephants died in 19 accidents between Palakkad junction and Madukkarai from 1978 to March 15, 2021. While three elephants were mowed down by a train on A line in Tamil Nadu side in November 2021 and two female elephants died after being hit by a Dibrugarh-bound train on B line between Walayar and Kanjikode in October 2022.
RTI activist and railway enthusiast R. Pandiyaraja wanted the Railways to implement a permanent solution to save wild elephants and other animals if it was not ready to reduce the speed of night trains or suspend services through the stretch at night.
“An elevated track is the permanent solution. As a temporary solution, artificial intelligence-based early warning systems, which the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is introducing, should be installed in the Kerala side, too,” he said.
K. Kalidasan of Coimbatore-based non-governmental organisation ‘Osai’ said that the Railways should shift the B line, which has accounted for the maximum number of elephant casualties, and lay it alongside the A line. Now, the two lines sandwich a forest patch.
“The current position of the tracks is not only unsafe for animals but also for passengers as collisions can lead to derailing and accidents. Stakeholders involved should take sincere efforts to bring these facts to the attention of the court,” he said.
