the SNCF is experimenting with a new system to fight against animals on the tracks

Animals are the pet peeve of the SNCF. On the rails, animals cause five collisions a day. The bill amounts to several million euros each year for the SNCF. Hunting sounds to hunt game may be the solution to keep them away from the tracks. A test was carried out on the line Dijon-Bourg-en-Bresse. “We sounded the railway, we have five loudspeakers over the entire length of the experiment”explains Véronique Bon, director of sustainable development for the SNCF Bourgogne-Franche-Comté network.

2,500 hours of delay generated

I’scarer is a first in France. The loudspeakers go off 30 seconds before a train passes. The one-year experiment cost 170,000 euros. The issue is to size, because each year, collisions with animals are responsible for 2,500 hours of delay for passengers and sometimes serious damage. The trains can thus be immobilized for six to seven months in order to be repaired. Train drivers are also not spared. “Yes, it’s shocking, it’s stressful. It’s better to avoid thinking about it too often, otherwise you won’t be a driver, it’s not possible”confides Steven Tabouret, driver.