ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Overview

Train-elephant collisions are one of the leading causes of human-induced elephant deaths in India. This project was a collaborative effort between WWF-India, the Assam Forest Department, and Indian Railways to explore ways to mitigate these collisions using a design-led approach. By combining field insights with systemic thinking, the project aimed to develop practical, context-sensitive interventions that prioritize both wildlife conservation and railway safety.

Approach & Design Frameworks

This project was grounded in a multidisciplinary design approach, drawing from key frameworks to guide both process and perspective:

Systems Thinking

To map and understand the interconnected dynamics between elephants, railways, ecosystems, and local communities.

More-Than-Human Design

To center elephant agency and behavior as active participants in the design process.

Participatory Design

To co-create with conservationists, ecologists, railway personnel, and local stakeholders.

Methods

The research employed multiple methods to gather comprehensive data and insights:

Context & Exploration

• • Site visits: Field visits were conducted periodically along a 165 km railway stretch to understand the terrain, elephant movement patterns, and features that contribute to collision risk. These were collaborative surveys with forest and railway officials.
• • Case studies and desk research: Analyzed past elephant-train collision incidents to understand contributing factors and validate field assumptions. Combined archival data with site visits and on-ground interviews.
• • Camera trapping and observational studies: To complement anecdotal insights and fill data gaps on elephant behavior, we deployed camera traps over two years along a 165 km stretch. Thirty cameras were installed at locations identified by local stakeholders as high-frequency crossing points.

Participatory Engagement

Facilitated workshops and co-creative sessions with ecologists, forest officials, railway staff, and local communities to exchange knowledge, surface ground realities, and collaboratively develop context-sensitive solutions.

Sensemaking & Design

Data mapping and system mapping exercises mapped all collected data across four key drivers of train-elephant collisions: limited visibility for loco pilots (due to fog, curves, etc.), lack of timely information on elephant movement, elephants crossing tracks, and elephants not perceiving trains as a threat or being unable to escape. This helped structure the problem systemically and identify leverage points for intervention.

Synthesis & Ideation

The process began by identifying and structuring the key factors contributing to train-elephant collisions. Building on this foundation, we ideated a range of potential interventions aimed at mitigating these impacts. Each proposed measure was assessed through a review of evidence from similar contexts, allowing us to draw insights from existing practices and adapt them to the specific conditions of the project site.

Testing & Implementation

A range of interventions were piloted to address key factors contributing to train-elephant collisions. Lighting along tracks to improve visibility was first tested at a single location to determine appropriate height, ensure compliance with railway safety regulations, and was later piloted over a 2 km stretch. It is currently being monitored for efficacy.

Design Adaptation

More complex solutions, like underpasses, were inspired by African wildlife infrastructure and adapted to suit the height and behavior of Indian elephants. But the presentation was visualized to make is easier for decision makers to understand and evaluate.

Learnings from Pilots

Not all pilots proved successful. An attempt to enhance the perceived speed of trains using reflective lights — modeled on a human-safety intervention from Mumbai — was ineffective in this context, offering key learnings for future designs. One of the most impactful insights came from observing elephants' difficulty navigating steep slopes. This led to the creation of gradual slopes at common crossing points — a simple intervention later implemented by the Forest Department after many discussion and evaluation sessions, with successful adoption by elephants choosing these path of least resistance.

Decision-Making Tool

Through a series of small-scale experiments and continuous feedback from both the Railways and Forest Department, two key needs emerged: a way to assess risk levels at specific sites, and a structured method to guide context-sensitive decision-making. This became especially relevant when the Ministry of Environment announced plans to build 100 underpasses or overpasses across India, but lacked a tool to help prioritize locations. In response, we developed a decision-making tool rooted in our site-specific interventions. Using spatial mapping and contextual factors, the tool not only supports local planning but also offers a replicable framework to guide interventions across diverse landscapes — helping scale the process while staying grounded in on-the-ground realities.

Collaborators