Wildlife collisions and Traffic mortality

Animal-vehicle collisions

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are a common sight along Swedish and Norwegian railways. Over 7000 reported incidents with only large ungulates are reported annually and the numbers are increasing. Statistically, every second to third kilometer of the railway network give rise to collisions every year, although some rail section are much more exposed than others.

(c) Carolin Berndt 2022

Collisions cause significant suffering in wildlife, a local problem to wildlife management and severe losses to reindeer husbandry. They pose a growing problem for railway and train operators due to damage to modern train engines, wheels and infrastructure. The problem is expected to grow as trains are upgraded to more modern models that also operate at higher speeds.

Research shows that there are only few effective measures for preventing train collisions with wild animals. The most common measures include clearing vegetation along railway lines and installing wildlife fencing and fauna bridges in particularly high-risk areas. However, animal overpasses are very costly and can not be installed everywhere.

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