Guwahati: The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) on Monday imposed a 30km per hour speed restriction in the 134km stretch between Balipara and Dhalaibeel stations in central Assam where five elephants were killed by a speeding train on Sunday.

A statement issued by the NFR on Monday evening, while replying to forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma's claim that a railway gateman who spotted the elephant herd did not inform the nearby railway station, said it was impossible to stop the train as it was already in the section.

"The driver and the co-driver of the train showed remarkable presence of mind and as soon as they spotted the herd they reduced the speed of the train without compromising the safety of the passengers as sudden and excessive braking can derail the train. However, despite all efforts, the train knocked down five elephants," NFR chief public relations officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma said in the statement.

The NFR, however, said the Guwahati-Naharalagun Donyi Polo Express did not maintain speed restriction as it should have done in elephant corridors as the area was not notified as an elephant corridor by the forest department.

"Even if there was movement of elephant herds in non-corridor areas, the railways has put in place mechanisms for monitoring of elephant movement working jointly with forest department. A WhatsApp group was created having both railway and forest officials to share information about elephant movement for timely action. But no such information was shared by the forest personnel on that day before the accident," he said.

The herd of 30 elephants entered the tracks by breaking barriers at a level crossing.

The forest minister yesterday said the gateman should have informed the Rangapara stationmaster about the elephants crossing the track so that the train could have been stopped.