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.
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.
Goal
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.
Who are we?
The project is a cross-border initiative within the INTERREG priority area Innovative Environments, where SLU, Enviroplanning AB, Ruralis, and Nibio—together with relevant authorities (Trafikverket, Jernbanedirektoratet, BaneNOR), train operators (SJ, Norske Tog), technology developers, and other key stakeholders—are developing and testing new technical solutions to prevent wildlife collisions on railway lines. There is significant added value in being able to work along railway networks in both countries, given the differences in topography, climate, fauna, and regulatory frameworks.
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