Railways To Construct Fences Along Tracks To Prevent Cattle Deaths

Lucknow, 17th November 2022: According to Railway Ministry’s data, at least 2,650 cattle deaths on tracks have been reported nationwide since April 1 of this year. To tackle the situation, Railways has chosen to “experiment” with the idea of constructing fences along tracks in the worst-affected areas. The North-Central Railway, which has its hub in Prayagraj, sees the majority of these deaths each year in Uttar Pradesh.

Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Wednesday that 1,000 km of boundary barriers will be built alongside railroad tracks over the next five to six months.

200 trains were impacted by cattle hitting the tracks in the first nine days of October, including the recently launched semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express. Nearly 4,000 trains have been impacted this year.

Vaishnaw stated, “We are working diligently on the subject of erecting border walls. We are considering two various designs. We plan to construct 1,000 km of such walls across sections over the next five to six months to test the feasibility of the design after having approved one, which is a sturdy wall.”

According to him, traditional boundary walls won’t stop animals from being run over and would simply have an impact on the nearby communities. Up to 26,000 cattle, run-over incidents were reported by Railways from throughout the nation in 2021–2022.

According to the Commissioner of Railway Safety’s instructions, if a train exceeds a speed of 130 km/h, the tracks must be fenced.

Track fencing is part of the plan for the massive speed upgrades being made to the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai corridors, which will allow for speeds of up to 160 km/h.

Sections in Jhansi Division (Virangana Lakshmibai-Gwalior section), Prayagraj Division (Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay-Prayagraj section), Moradabad Division (Alam Nagar to Shahjehanpur), and Lucknow Division are among the stretches in North Central Railways and Northern Railways that have been designated for the construction of fences (Alam Nagar to Lucknow).