How Indian Railways plans to stop cattle stampede involving Vande Bharat Express | So Good News

Western Railway’s RPF in Mumbai Division has seen a disturbing trend of cattle owners/cattle herders letting their cattle loose on railway land and tracks and has taken several steps to prevent cases of cattle run overs. In the recent past, the Mumbai Central – Gandhinagar – Capital Vande Bharat Express has faced cases of being run over by cattle.

Incidences of run over cattle have adversely affected rail operations, increasing the possibility of rail accidents including derailments. This also endangers the safety of passengers and may lead to disruption of railway traffic and loss of railway property, etc. To prevent such incidents in future, RPF Mumbai Division has identified various vulnerable spots.

RPF has conducted frequent awareness and sensitization campaigns in all these places. In 2022, the RPF has carried out 1,023 awareness campaigns in vulnerable places so far. In addition to this, the RPF has conducted meetings with the sarpanch in all villages near railway tracks. More than 50 meetings have been held this year. Residents/cattle grazers of the nearby villages where such incidents take place are advised not to let their livestock graze near the railway tracks as there are chances of the livestock entering or crossing the tracks and being run over by the speeding trains. Dumping of garbage along the railway tracks by the people is also a cause as this attracts the cattle to graze near the railway fields/tracks. RPF Mumbai Division is also working in close coordination with the city administration and city police to prevent movement of stray cattle near railway tracks.

Western Railway will take strict action against the violators, whose cattle are found moving in railway land/area. Under the provisions of the Railways Act 1989, owners of cattle are liable to be punished under section 154 (which endangers the safety of persons traveling by railway by willful act or omission, is punishable with imprisonment for 1 year, or with fine or both) and under section 147 (Trending and refusal to desist from offence, punishable with imprisonment for 6 months, or with fine Rs. 1000/- or with both).

Meanwhile, cattle overruns affected 200 trains in the first nine days of October and over 4,000 trains so far this year, official data has shown.

Worst hit is the newly minted Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express train which was launched on October 1. This month it was subjected to three collisions with cattle, causing damage to the “nose”.

Officials said the railway has barricaded several areas around the tracks prone to such incidents, but it is difficult to cover long stretches as there are residential areas with homes on one side and farms on the other.

The railway has also identified sections that have recorded a high number of such cases and is in the process of fencing them off. Work has been completed in 40 per cent of these sections, an official told PTI.

“Railways make every effort to reduce cattle strikes (CROs). We identify places where a pattern is found. We visit such sites and find the cause of frequent CROs. Sometimes there are solvable causes, but other times no direct reason is found .Nevertheless, our teams visit nearby villages and interact with the sarpanches.We advise the villagers about the implications of CRO.

“Sometimes it is found that illegal passages have been created across the tracks. Sometimes fencing has to be done over a patch,” said Amitabh Sharma, executive director of information and publicity, railways.

*With input from agencies