Fencing Initiative Slashes Cattle Collisions on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Railway

The Western Railway's decision to fence the 562-kilometer railway track between Ahmedabad and Mumbai has led to a notable decrease in incidents involving high-speed trains and cattle. As reported on Wednesday, incidents fell to just 101 in 2024-25 from a concerning 538 in 2022-23.

Following a damaging collision involving the Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat train in October 2022, the Railways responded by installing a 'W beam' fence, commonly used by the National Highway Authority of India. The outcome has been promising, with only 12 incidents reported in 2025-26, by July 23.

This initiative not only improves safety but also paves the way for trains to achieve increased speeds up to 160 kmph. Among the efforts to maintain this progress, the Railway Protection Force has engaged with local communities to prevent cattle from straying onto tracks, ensuring sustained safety improvements.

(With inputs from agencies.)