How Indian Railways plan to stop cattle runover incidents involving Vande Bharat Express

After multiple incidents of cattle runover involving the Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express, Indian Railways' Western Railway (WR) zone's Railway Protection Force (RPF) is entrusted with thesafety and security of passengers and railway property.

Seeing a disturbing trend of cattle owners/cattle grazers letting loose their cattle on railway land and tracks, Western Railway’s RPF of Mumbai Division has taken several steps for the prevention of Cattle Run Over cases. In the recent past, Mumbai Central – Gandhinagar – Capital Vande Bharat Express has faced cattle run over cases.

Instances of cattle run over 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 rail traffic and loss to rail property, etc. For the prevention of such cases in the future, RPF Mumbai Division has identified various vulnerable locations.

RPF has carried out frequent awareness and sensitization campaigns at all these locations. In 2022, RPF has conducted 1023 awareness campaigns at vulnerable locations till now. Besides this, RPF has conducted meetings with the sarpanch of all villages in the vicinity of railway tracks. More than 50 meetings have been conducted this year. Resident/cattle grazers of the nearby villages where such incidents take place are being counseled not to let their livestock graze near the railway tracks as there are chances of the livestock entering or crossing the tracks and getting 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 lands/tracks. RPF Mumbai Division is also working in close coordination with city administration and city police to prevent the movement of stray cattle near railway tracks.

Western Railway is taking stringent action against the violators, whose cattle is found moving in railway land/area. As per the provisions of Railways Act 1989, owners of cattle are liable to be punished under Section 154 (Endangering safety of persons travelling by railway by willful act or omission, punishable with imprisonment for 1 year, or with fine or both) and under Section 147 (Trespass and refusal to desist from trespass, punishable with imprisonment for 6 months, or fine Rs. 1000/- or both).

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

The worst affected is the newly minted Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express train which was launched on October 1. It suffered three run-ins with cattle this month, causing damage to its "nose".

Officials said the Railways has barricaded several areas around the tracks which are 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 Railways has also identified stretches which have recorded a high number of such cases and are in the process of fencing them. Work has been completed in 40 per cent of these sections, an official said to PTI.

"Railways is taking all efforts to reduce cattle run overs (CROs). We are pinpointing locations where a pattern is found. We visit such sites and ascertain the cause of frequent CROs. Sometimes, there are reasons which can be addressed, but other times no direct reason is found. Still, our teams visit nearby villages and get in touch with the sarpanches. We counsel the villagers about the repercussions of CRO.

"Sometimes, illegal passages are found to have been created across the tracks. Sometimes, fencing is required to be done over a patch," said Amitabh Sharma, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railways.

*With inputs from agencies