Train movement halted to ensure safe passage for herd of 22 elephants

Jamshedpur, Nov 1 (PTI) Movement of about a dozen long-distance express trains was temporarily halted on Saturday to ensure safe passage to a herd of 22 wild elephants under the Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway, an official said.

The railway officials acted promptly after field officials reported movement of elephants near railway track close to the Jharkhand-Odisha border between Birsa and D cabin section since late Friday night and stopped movement of trains for 3-4 hours in gaps till the herd crossed over safely early Saturday morning, he said.

In a remarkable demonstration of its commitment to wildlife conservation and operational safety, Chakradharpur Division temporarily halted the movement of trains between Bisra and D Cabin section on November 1 to ensure the safe passage of a herd of 22 elephants, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (CKP division) of South Eastern Railway, Aditya Kumar Choudhary said.

"No sooner did we receive a report about the movement of 22 elephants near the rail track, train operations were temporarily suspended to prevent any untoward incident, underscoring Indian Railways' proactive approach towards ensuring harmonious coexistence between wildlife and rail operations," he said.

During the period, the trains detained included 18113 (Tatanagar–Bilaspur Express), 12810 (Howrah–Mumbai CSMT Mail), 12102 (Jnaneswari Express) and 12130 (Azad Hind Express).

The trains on the down track regulated were 12261 (CSMT–Howrah AC Duronto Express), 12809 (Mumbai CSMT–Howrah Mail), 08869 (NSC Bose Itwari–Jaynagar Special Fare Festival Special), 18114 (Bilaspur–Tatanagar Express), 18190 (Ernakulam–Tatanagar Express), 13352 (Alappuzha–Dhanbad Express), 18029 (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Shalimar Express) and 12129 (Azad Hind Express), an official statement said. PTI BS RG