Five additional railway underpasses are being constructed in the Gir forest area to ensure safer movement of Asiatic lions, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav informed Parliament while responding to a query raised by Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani.
Apart from the two existing underpasses, the new structures are aimed at reducing the risk of wildlife accidents along railway tracks passing through the Gir National Park and Lion Wildlife Sanctuary.
The minister also said that an artificial intelligence-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) has been sanctioned to monitor lion movement across a 115-km stretch in the Damnagar–Pipavav section of the Bhavnagar Division of Western Railway. The system will generate alerts for loco pilots, station masters and railway control rooms whenever lions are detected near the tracks, enabling timely preventive action.
To further enhance wildlife safety, trains in the forest region continue to operate at regulated slow speeds. Coordination between the Railways and the Forest Department is maintained through circle-level, divisional-level and range-level review committees, which meet regularly to monitor safety measures and implementation progress.