Samaritans partnership with Network Rail

Suicides on the railways make up around 4% of the 6,000 total annual number of suicides in the UK.

 

Suicide of any kind carries a huge cost for society but the financial and human cost of suicides on the railway is disproportionately high.

 

The financial cost to the rail industry is estimated at £50 million a year and the emotional impact is also enormous due to the number of people often involved and the consequent trauma caused – specifically to train drivers, rail employees and members of the public who witness these incidents.

 

In January 2010, Samaritans and Network Rail launched a pioneering five-year partnership to reduce the number of suicides on the railways by 20%.  The first year has already since a reduction in railway suicides by 11%.

 

The partnership features a programme of prevention and post-incident activities, including:

 

• training railway industry staff and British Transport Police
• a call-out service to provide emotional support to people in distress at railway sites
• support to rail staff and members of the public who have witnessed a fatality

 

As part of this partnership, Central London Samaritans are building relationships with staff members at 16 railway stations across London, including three stations identified as ‘hotspots’.

 

More information

 

For more information about our partnership with Network Rail contact Laura Fleming, Outreach Volunteering Coordinator on 020 7439 1406 or email us at outreach@cls.org.uk.