Railway suicide in Australia: An overview of incidents using data from a nationally representative coronial database

TrackSAFE commissioned The University of Melbourne to conduct an in-depth review of Australian railway suicide coronial data to develop the evidence base for prevention interventions. We extracted data about railway  suicides that occurred over the period 2015-2019 from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) and systematically coded the detailed circumstances of incidents, focusing particularly on […]

Sociodemographic and psychosocial risk factors of railway suicide a mixed-methods study combining data of all suicide decedents in the Netherlands with data from a psychosocial autopsy study

Background: Railway suicide has profound implications for the victims and their family, and affects train drivers, railway personnel, emergency services and witnesses. To inform a multilevel prevention strategy, more knowledge is required about psychosocial and precipitating risk factors of railway suicide. Methods: Data from Statistics Netherlands of all suicides between 2017 and 2021 (n = 9.241) of […]

The effectiveness of installing trackside fencing in preventing railway suicides: A pre-post study design in Victoria, Australia

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC Restricting access to means has been shown to be an effective suicide prevention measure in public places in general, and in the railway environment specifically. Some examples of restricting access to means that have been effective in the railway environment include the installation of platform screen doors and […]

Suicide in the transport system (IN: The Vision Zero Handbook, edited by K.E. Bjornberg, S.O. Hansson, M. Belin, & C. Tingvall)

The Swedish Transport Administration (STA) work to reduce the number of suicides in the transport system. Fatalities, i.e., on roads, railways, and bridges, originate from either accidents or suicides, natural death excluded. Knowing the correct manner of death is needed to work with optimal prevention strategies. The aims are to separate fatalities due to suicides, […]

Systematic review of the impact of suicides and other critical incidents on railway personnel

The review summarizes current scientific knowledge on the effects of railway critical incidents on railway workers and the associated risk and protective factors. Diagnosable traumatic reactions sometimes occur after a serious incident. However, the most frequent effects are long-term impairments that do not meet diagnostic criteria but can still profoundly affect people’s lives. Risk factors […]

Railway suicide in Belgium 1998-2009: Incidence and prevention

Background: Belgium is a country with a high suicide rate (19.1/100,000 in 2004), and railway suicide poses a substantial safety and public health problem. This problem was addressed by the Suicide Prevention Unit of Infrabel (Manager of the Belgian Railway Infrastructure), which collects relevant data and implements a prevention program. Aims: To present data on fatal and nonfatal […]

Efforts to prevent railway suicides in Denmark: A pilot study

Background: Reviews of camera surveillance systems have demonstrated ambivalent behaviors among people who die by railway suicide. Yet, only few preventive measures have been evaluated. Aims: We aimed to review incidents of suicidal behavior at a Danish railway station, install preventive measures, and monitor subsequent calls to a telephone helpline and reports of suicidal incidences. […]

Behavioral and location-related antecedents of train suicides

Background In the European Union, over 2000 suicides on railway premises were reported in 2020. Identifying individuals’ behavioral and location patterns just before they die or attempt to die by train suicide (ITS) is critical for effective prevention of suicides by train. We conducted a naturalistic study using a newly developed instrument for the assessment […]

The impact of the “Pause. Call. Be Heard” campaign on help-seeking and suicidal behaviors within rail environment in Victoria, Australia

Objective To assess the impact of the “Pause. Call. Be Heard” campaign on help-seeking and suicidal behaviors within rail environment in Victoria, Australia. Methods An anonymous online survey was conducted to measure noticeability of and engagement with the campaign and help-seeking intentions and behaviors among rail commuters at 10 rail stations. We generated descriptive statistics […]

Why choose the railway?: An exploratory analysis of suicide notes from a sample of those who died by suicide on the railway

Background: The impact of railway suicide in the United Kingdom is extensive, yet reasons for why people choose this method are not clearly understood and research into the examination of suicide notes in this area is limited. Aims: Our study aimed to utilize the unique access to suicide notes written by those who died by suicide on the […]

The role of bystanders in the prevention of railway suicides in New South Wales, Australia

Background: Bystanders can play a key role in preventing railway suicides by taking direct action or by raising an alarm. Aims: The study investigated in this context: (1) the prevalence of preventative actions by bystanders; (2) the relationship, if any, between first-hand preventions by bystanders and the degree of ambiguity around the imminence of danger; and (3) the […]

Railway suicide in The Netherlands lower than expected: Are preventive measures effective?

Background: Increasing rail transportation requires appropriate railway suicide preventive measures. Aims: The investigation of trends in railway suicide during 2008–2018, a period in which preventive measures were taken by Dutch railway infrastructure manager ProRail. Methods: Generalized linear regression models for railway suicide were developed for the period 1970–2007 with general suicide rate, railway traffic intensity, and a combination of these […]

Preventing railway suicides through level crossing removal: A multiple‑arm pre‑post study design in Victoria, Australia

Purpose Rail level crossing removals to improve transport performance across metropolitan Melbourne (state of Victoria) resulted in new rail fencing and grade-separation of tracks from the surrounding environment at several sites. These design changes restricted pedestrian access to the rail tracks, which is a countermeasure known to prevent railway suicide in other settings. We examined […]

Characteristics of train stations where railway suicides have occurred and locations within the stations

Background: To devise effective railway suicide countermeasures, it is necessary to identify stations where suicide is likely to occur. Aim: We explored the characteristics of stations where railway suicides have occurred and locations within the stations. Method: (Study 1) Using suicide data from between April 2014 and September 2019 provided by a major railway company in Japan, station-specific suicide was […]

Intervening to prevent suicide at railway locations: Findings from a qualitative study with front-line staff and rail commuters

Background: For every suicide on the British railway network, at least six potential attempts are interrupted by front-line staff or rail commuters. However, the factors that maximise or hinder the likelihood and effectiveness of such interventions are poorly understood. Aims: The aim of the current study was to shed light on the experience of intervening to prevent […]

Responsibly communicating delays after suicides on railways: the impact of delay announcements on suicide-related associations and emotions, and announcement appreciation

Background: By communicating collision with a person as a reason for post-suicide railway delays, railway companies may involuntarily communicate to the public that colliding with a train is a suicide method. Aims: To compare the impact of the collision with a person delay announcement with an announcement about emergency services and one about collision with […]

Characteristics of train stations where railway suicide frequently occurs: Evidence from Japan

Background: It is necessary to identify stations where suicide is likely to occur to  devise promising railway suicide countermeasures. Aim: We examined the relationship between station characteristics and the occurrence of suicide. Methods: (Study 1) Using suicide data between April 2014 and September 2019 provided by a major railway company in Japan, station-specific suicide was […]

Reducing the incidence of suicide on transit rail systems

Along with LivingWorks and the Centre for Suicide Prevention, Calgary Transit is providing suicide awareness and prevention. training. This program provides a way to identify and get help for someone at risk of suicide. Suicide safety starts here.

Collecting evidence from distributed sources to evaluate railway suicides and trespass prevention measures.

It can be difficult to select from available safety preventative measures, especially where there is limited evidence of effectiveness in different contexts. This paper describes application of a method to identify and evaluate wide-ranging preventative measures for rail suicide and trespass fatalities. Evidence from literature and industry sources was collated and reviewed in a two […]

Characteristics of railway suicides in Canada and comparison with accidental railway fatalities: Implications for prevention

This study presents and compares the prevalence and characteristics of rail-related suicide and other railway fatalities in Canada over 10 years, from 1999 to 2008. The methodology involved in-depth data analysis of records from provincial coroner and medical examiner’s investigations, railway company reports and Transportation Safety Board data. We identify physical risk factors and psychosocial descriptions […]

A systematic review of the literature on safety measures to prevent railway suicides and trespassing accidents

This review covers a central aspect in railway safety which is the prevention of suicides and trespassing accidents. The paper attempts to answer the following research question: ‘What measures are available to reduce railway suicide and trespass, and what is the evidence for their effectiveness?’ The review is based on 139 relevant publications, ranging from […]

Does the installation of blue lights on train platforms shift suicide to another station?: Evidence from Japan.

stalling physical barriers at suicide hotspots is known as an effective strategy for suicide prevention. However, the effectiveness of physical barriers may be nullified by the substitution phenomenon, i.e., that restricting access to a particular place induces people at risk to look for a nearby place for suicide. Methods This study tests whether the substitution […]

Charaacteristics of railway suicides in Canada and comparison with accidental railway fatalities: Implications for prevention.

Highlights Over 10 years, we identified 460 railway accidental deaths and 428 suicides in Canada. In accidents, impairment (illness, substance abuse, age) plays an important role. More intense warnings of approaching trains may help prevent accidental deaths. More than one-third of suicides occur on rails near psychiatric facilities. Improved training in psychiatric facilities near rails may […]