New Technical Measures to Prevent Animal Collisions

The project is a cross-border initiative by relevant authorities, companies, and universities aimed at finding new technical solutions to reduce animal collisions on railway lines.

 

Animal collisions on railways have increased steadily over the past 20 years, and the issue is receiving growing attention in the media and internationally. Train operators are seeking effective solutions to reduce the risk of accidents and lower costs related to repairs, service disruptions, and loss of wildlife.
We are therefore studying how animals can be temporarily deterred from railways to prevent collisions. The project is based on several years of preparatory studies, including results from pilot experiments, analyses, and some technological development. We are testing the implementation of mitigation principles in real operational environments (railways, trains) and laying the foundation for future commercial technology development.

 

The project includes trials with both mobile and stationary deterrent systems. 

1) Mobile Wildlife Deterrent System

We are studying how train drivers, and thereby train operators, can avoid animal collisions by warning or scaring animals that do not manage to leave the tracks in time.

2) Stationary Wildlife Deterrent System

We are testing whether animals can be temporarily deterred from the track area at selected locations using sound and light signals that convey a sense of danger. Deterrent stations can be further developed to secure, for example, wildlife crossings, fence openings, and tunnel entrances.

mål

The central goal of the project is to contribute to safer road and railway transport in the Nordic region through infrastructure that is well integrated into the landscape, allowing natural processes and essential ecological functions—such as animal movement across the landscape—to be maintained. The methods are based on deterring animals from the infrastructure only when the risk of accidents is at its highest. This is to be achieved through selected acoustic (and possibly visual) signals that trigger a brief but controlled flight response in animals just before a train passes. The method is intended for use in areas where physical measures, such as wildlife fencing or crossings, are not feasible or need to be complemented.

Om oss

Projektet är en gränsöverskridande satsning inom INTERREG insatsområdet Innovativa Miljöer där SLU, Enviroplanning AB, Ruralis och Nibio, tillsammans med berörda myndigheter (Trafikverket, Jernbanedirektoratet, BaneNOR), tågbolag (SJ, Norske Tog) og teknologiutviklere, samt andra relevanta aktörer utvecklar och testar nya tekniska lösningar som ska avvärja viltpåkörningar på järnväg. Det ligger ett stort nyttovärde i att kunna arbeta längs järnvägsnäten i båda länderna på grund av skillnader i topografi, klimat, fauna och även regelverk

Contact Persons:

Sverige – Andreas Seiler (SLU) and Mattias Olsson (Enviroplanning AB)
Norge – Aina Winsvold (Ruralis) and Svein-Morten Eilertsen (NIBIO)

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