In a tragic incident underscoring the clash between expanding rail infrastructure and wildlife conservation, a high-speed passenger train in India struck a herd of wild elephants in the northeastern state of Assam, killing at least seven elephants and injuring another calf. The collision late on Saturday night also caused several rail coaches to derail, though no human casualties were reported.
Collision in Assam: What Happened
In the early hours of December 20, 2025, the Sairang–New Delhi Rajdhani Express — one of India’s premier long-distance trains — collided with a herd of elephants that were crossing the tracks in Hojai district, roughly 125 km southeast of Guwahati, the capital of Assam.
Train officials and wildlife authorities reported that the driver spotted the herd, estimated at about 100 elephants, and applied emergency brakes. Despite these efforts, seven elephants were killed on the spot. A young calf that initially survived later succumbed to its injuries at a wildlife rehabilitation center, raising the death toll to eight.
Five coaches and the locomotive were derailed by the impact, but fortunately, none of the approximately 650 passengers was injured. Affected carriages were detached, and passengers in derailed cars were transferred to another train bound for Guwahati before completing their journey to New Delhi.
The Site: Not an Official Elephant Corridor
Indian Railways officials confirmed the collision occurred at a location not designated as a formal elephant corridor, despite being part of a region frequented by pachyderm herds, especially during seasonal migrations and rice-harvest periods when elephants venture closer to human areas in search of food.
Assam, home to one of the country’s largest populations of wild Asiatic elephants—estimated around 7,000 animals—often sees elephants crossing rail lines that cut through forest fragments and agricultural land. Wildlife experts say these crossings are part of long-established movement patterns, even outside officially mapped corridors.
Broader Pattern: Elephant-Train Collisions in India
Train-elephant collisions are not isolated to this one incident. Conservation and railway records show that dozens of elephants have been killed by trains across India over recent years, particularly in the northeast and eastern states where rail networks intersect forest habitats.
Since 2019, the number of elephants killed on rail tracks has continued to climb, with recent reports noting that 2025 alone has already seen multiple such fatal accidents. These collisions are among the leading anthropogenic (human-induced) causes of elephant mortality, alongside habitat loss and conflicts with agriculture.
Conservation Perspectives and Mitigation Challenges
Experts and environmental NGOs have long urged authorities to adopt more robust safety measures to prevent train-elephant collisions:
- Early warning and intrusion detection systems: Technologies such as ground-based sensors and AI-enhanced detectors are being deployed in some known elephant corridors to alert train drivers when large animals approach the track. However, these systems are not yet comprehensively installed across all high-risk zones.
- Speed restrictions and flaggers: In areas with frequent elephant movement, rail authorities can enforce strict speed limits and post watchmen to help mitigate collisions.
- Habitat connectivity solutions: Conservationists advocate for dedicated wildlife crossings—overpasses or underpasses—that allow elephants to move between habitat patches without intersecting rail lines.
Despite these efforts, gaps remain. The incident in Hojai occurred outside designated corridors, and villagers in the area reported that elephants regularly traverse these forested stretches — highlighting a need to expand mapping and protection beyond formal corridors.
