ive at InnoTrans: Blue Sentinel clears wildlife from the tracks 8 to 10 seconds before every train
Making its first appearance at the world's leading railway trade fair, Nantes-based ElanRail is presenting Blue Sentinel, a system already proven across six French regions and designed to scale across European rail networks.
www.elanrail.com
As InnoTrans opens its doors, ElanRail is showcasing Blue Sentinel at Hall 5.2, Stand 365, with a live demonstration recreating a real trackside scenario.
Visitors can watch the system's full operating sequence unfold: an approaching train is detected, the signal is transmitted to the alert beacons, audio and light signals activate, and wildlife is temporarily cleared from the tracks ahead of the train's passage.
The beacons activate 8 to 10 seconds before the train arrives, giving wild boar, red deer and roe deer enough time to clear the danger zone, while leaving their natural movement unrestricted at all other times.
This year's InnoTrans features a wide range of world premieres, with automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, maintenance and infrastructure solutions especially well represented. Blue Sentinel stands out from this field: a solar-powered, autonomous system that requires no civil works, can be configured remotely, and is purpose-built to tackle one of the most persistent operational risks at collision hotspots.
From train detected to tracks cleared in 8 to 10 seconds
Blue Sentinel protects sections of track, typically several kilometres long, identified as collision hotspots for frequent wildlife crossings. The system works in three stages:
1. Detect the train: Two detection beacons placed at either end of the protected section sense the approaching train and measure its speed.
2. Trigger the alert beacons: The signal is transmitted to beacons spaced an average of 50 meters apart along the protected section.
3. Clear the tracks: Targeted audio and light signals activate just before the train arrives, The beacons are solar-powered and fully autonomous, running for up to 120 days without recharging. They are installed lineside, requiring no civil works, no operational disruption and no impact on existing infrastructure. This is a fundamentally different approach: a dynamic system deployed precisely where the risk is highest, at identified collision hotspots.
90% fewer collisions at the first equipped site
During its first pilot phase in Pays de la Loire, Blue Sentinel cut large-wildlife collisions by 90% over 18 months of real-world operation. The system now covers around fifteen collision hotspots across six French regions, with more than 300,000 train passages protected to date.
ElanRail therefore arrives at InnoTrans with a technology already validated under real operating conditions.
From six French regions to European railway networks
ElanRail comes to InnoTrans with a clear ambition: to make Blue Sentinel the new European standard for train-wildlife collision prevention. The system can be configured for any network, local wildlife species, terrain profile and traffic patterns. Remote configuration and an adaptable sound library allow each installation to be fine-tuned to local conditions.
ElanRail also draws on the industrial expertise of Elan City: 20 years of technology development in the road safety sector and more than 60,000 products deployed in 50 countries. A track record that gives ElanRail the industrial foundation to support Blue Sentinel's progressive roll-out across European rail markets.
A challenge shared by European railway networks
Across Europe, railway lines run through the territories of large mammals such as wild boar, red deer, roe deer and elk. Every collision can immobilise a train, generate repair and maintenance costs, and trigger delays that cascade across the network.
In France alone, SNCF Réseau recorded 1,404 collisions between trains and wild boar in 2025, up 27% on 2024 and 60% over three years. Up to 20 trains a day can be delayed or cancelled as a result, at an average direct cost of €100,000 per incident for the infrastructure manager.
Blue Sentinel complements passive measures such as fencing, which cannot always be deployed at scale and can fragment wildlife corridors. The system activates only at collision hotspots, and only when a train is approaching.
"InnoTrans is the right moment to show, in practical terms, what Blue Sentinel delivers: detecting an approaching train, moving wildlife off the tracks in the seconds before it passes, and cutting collision risk without permanently blocking animals' natural movement. We're coming to Berlin with a solution fieldproven in France, more than 300,000 train passages protected, and the industrial capacity of ElanCity behind us to support its roll-out across Europe," says Michaël Rublon, Head of ElanRail.
www.elanrail.com
