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"Stations to be re-designed to prevent death by suicide" - Proposed Solutions from Network Rail

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whhistle

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It is said to have a calming effect that can reduce the number suicides and a study of the lighting in use at 14 Japanese stations found the number suicides fell by 74 per cent.
Isn't suicide high in Japan anyway?
If so, I'd be interested in the statistics if no other form of prevention was in place elsewhere in the daily lives of the citizens living in that area.

As someone else has said, some of this is a bit of a silly idea as it stands.
The only way you'll beat suicide is caging the trains in. Regular access "doors", no overheads to blow down then either. But it would destroy the views.
 
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R

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My own thought as to what might be effective in this sphere - if it can be done suitably - is advertising saying it won't work (i.e. you won't die), and what the results (crippling injuries) then are.
I've heard an anecdote from someone in the Samaritans as to the effect of this:

A chap was standing alone at the end of a platform, looking suspect. A cleaner walked up to him and offered him a bin-bag and said "If you're going to do it, can put yourself in this first? It'll make our jobs a lot easier." The man went pale, looked rather embarrased and left the station immediately.

It might not have ultimately changed his mind, but it prevented the suicide there and then, giving him another hour, day or week to think about it and/or someone to help.
 

DarloRich

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This is not even vaguely justifiable as a reason to close a well-used station and force passengers to choose a slower, less convenient and less safe method of transport. If it's a problem station, it might be worth having permanent platform staff, even if just security guards like at some south WCML stations.

thanks - got the point now - i agree.

While the poor blokes stood in the cold at Blethcley look bored they do seem to be working!
 

Bletchleyite

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thanks - got the point now - i agree.

While the poor blokes stood in the cold at Blethcley look bored they do seem to be working!

I did wonder if they'd do away with them now there's someone on the barrier for the full period of service who could intervene if needs be. I suppose as it seems to be *one* person on the barrier they'd be potential backup for them if it got nasty over a ticketing dispute.
 

trash80

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Last two near Coventry on the WCML were between there and Rugby. They knew trains thunder through. Marston Green however which is a 'favourite' due to line speeds, should be closed altogether. They can get a bus.

Are you serious?
 
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I recently tried to end my life by standing in front of a train (incredibly selfish I know but I really wasn’t well). It was on a very isolated section of track and I jumped out the way last second but I heard the brakes screech and the trains were delayed for over an hour and the police arrived at the local station about a mile from me (I stayed hidden). Do you think the driver thought he had hit me? I’m incredibly concerned for him. And what would the police have been doing? Do the trains have cameras? Again I know this was a disgusting thing for me to do and I am truly sorry.
 

cjp

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I recently tried to end my life by standing in front of a train (incredibly selfish I know but I really wasn’t well). It was on a very isolated section of track and I jumped out the way last second but I heard the brakes screech and the trains were delayed for over an hour and the police arrived at the local station about a mile from me (I stayed hidden). Do you think the driver thought he had hit me? I’m incredibly concerned for him. And what would the police have been doing? Do the trains have cameras? Again I know this was a disgusting thing for me to do and I am truly sorry.
Not disgusting at all although the driver would have been most upset even though you did not in the end do as you had planned.
It is an understandable option although others here might not have empathy with you.
Thank you for posting.
 
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I recently tried to end my life by standing in front of a train (incredibly selfish I know but I really wasn’t well). It was on a very isolated section of track and I jumped out the way last second but I heard the brakes screech and the trains were delayed for over an hour and the police arrived at the local station about a mile from me (I stayed hidden). Do you think the driver thought he had hit me? I’m incredibly concerned for him. And what would the police have been doing? Do the trains have cameras? Again I know this was a disgusting thing for me to do and I am truly sorry.
Sorry to hear you've been through that, I hope you're in a better frame of mind now. Needless to say, if you haven't already spoken to the Samaritans, about your incident or anything on your mind, I'd highly suggest it. Most people, even the driver (although perhaps not in the heat of the moment!) will understand that to do something like that you're not acting yourself or thinking rationally - you're not a monster for having done it.

Regarding your railway-related questions:

Depending on the train, drivers can't see directly in front of the cab (simmilar to how you can't usually see the bonnet of a car when inside it). This "blind-spot" might be a couple of metres in front of the train or it could be almost ten in some cases. Thus, it's entirely possible that even if you jumped at the last moment, you had already disappeared from the drivers view and were 'under' the train from his/her perspective. However, the lack of an impact noise and the subsequent investigation would likely establish that there was no fataility or impact. Regardless of that, though, there's no hiding the fact it would have been very upsetting for the driver at the time.

Some trains have forward-facing cameras. Almost all new ones (last 10 years or so) come with them and a number of older units have had them retrofitted too.

The Police would have attended as, at the very least, there's been a tresspass incident, but potentially also a fatality or severe injury. They're there to firstly establish if there's been any crime committed (someone being pushed in front of a train etc.) and following that assist in taking witness statements and handling the decesased (if applicable). In your case, I imagine their biggest concern was for your welfare and finding you lest you had received a glancing blow/needed immediate medical attention - they're not there to go about arresting people in those situations.

If you're concerned about getting into trouble with the police regarding the incident, I think that's pretty unlikely. I can't imagine trying to prosecute someone for trespass in such a vulnerable state of mind would be at all productive. There's a big focus at the moment to reduce rail-related suicides and thus treating survivors of such experiences as criminals wouldn't help at all in this regard.

As mentioned, by far your best option at the moment is to contact the samaritans about the incident & your feelings towards it - they'll be able to offer much better general advice going forward than any of us on here (even on some railway specific questions, as they've got good links with the industry). Perhaps they might even be able to anonymously pass a letter of apology & concern to the staff involved in the incident, if you think that would help you - it's worth asking.
 

GRALISTAIR

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I recently tried to end my life by standing in front of a train (incredibly selfish I know but I really wasn’t well). It was on a very isolated section of track and I jumped out the way last second but I heard the brakes screech and the trains were delayed for over an hour and the police arrived at the local station about a mile from me (I stayed hidden). Do you think the driver thought he had hit me? I’m incredibly concerned for him. And what would the police have been doing? Do the trains have cameras? Again I know this was a disgusting thing for me to do and I am truly sorry.
In 1989 I chose a whole bottle of anti- depressants and washed down with two bottles of wine. Thankfully for the last 28 years I have been fine. Thank you for posting and hopefully you are feeling much better.
 
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Not disgusting at all although the driver would have been most upset even though you did not in the end do as you had planned.
It is an understandable option although others here might not have empathy with you.
Thank you for posting.

Thank you, that’s really kind of you. I knew when I posted this that a lot of people will rightly so be angry but I can assure them the person I am most angry at is myself.
 
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Sorry to hear you've been through that, I hope you're in a better frame of mind now. Needless to say, if you haven't already spoken to the Samaritans, about your incident or anything on your mind, I'd highly suggest it. Most people, even the driver (although perhaps not in the heat of the moment!) will understand that to do something like that you're not acting yourself or thinking rationally - you're not a monster for having done it.

Regarding your railway-related questions:

Depending on the train, drivers can't see directly in front of the cab (simmilar to how you can't usually see the bonnet of a car when inside it). This "blind-spot" might be a couple of metres in front of the train or it could be almost ten in some cases. Thus, it's entirely possible that even if you jumped at the last moment, you had already disappeared from the drivers view and were 'under' the train from his/her perspective. However, the lack of an impact noise and the subsequent investigation would likely establish that there was no fataility or impact. Regardless of that, though, there's no hiding the fact it would have been very upsetting for the driver at the time.

Some trains have forward-facing cameras. Almost all new ones (last 10 years or so) come with them and a number of older units have had them retrofitted too.

The Police would have attended as, at the very least, there's been a tresspass incident, but potentially also a fatality or severe injury. They're there to firstly establish if there's been any crime committed (someone being pushed in front of a train etc.) and following that assist in taking witness statements and handling the decesased (if applicable). In your case, I imagine their biggest concern was for your welfare and finding you lest you had received a glancing blow/needed immediate medical attention - they're not there to go about arresting people in those situations.

If you're concerned about getting into trouble with the police regarding the incident, I think that's pretty unlikely. I can't imagine trying to prosecute someone for trespass in such a vulnerable state of mind would be at all productive. There's a big focus at the moment to reduce rail-related suicides and thus treating survivors of such experiences as criminals wouldn't help at all in this regard.

As mentioned, by far your best option at the moment is to contact the samaritans about the incident & your feelings towards it - they'll be able to offer much better general advice going forward than any of us on here (even on some railway specific questions, as they've got good links with the industry). Perhaps they might even be able to anonymously pass a letter of apology & concern to the staff involved in the incident, if you think that would help you - it's worth asking.

Thank you so much for replying and spending the time to write that. I’m doing a lot better thank you.
Would there be a log of the incident in order to trace the driver? Not sure if this would be more upsetting for him or not. Would it have been classified as a close call or near miss? Not sure when something is counted as that.
I was scared that the camera could have been used to identify me but as it was dark I presume it wasn’t clear.
With regards to the police, I agree they most probably wouldn’t have arrested me but they would have 136’d me and I couldn’t risk that showing up to my employers or my DBS for the rest of my life (I’m 23). I also thought it would be incredibly attention seeking. I’d only found out the police attended when my boyfriend came home from work and asked me if I knew why the station was sealed off and there were police everywhere (we live in a very small village). I had to sit there and pretend I had no idea. I take it the police would have just done a search and left it be? Thank you again for taking the time with me.
 
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In 1989 I chose a whole bottle of anti- depressants and washed down with two bottles of wine. Thankfully for the last 28 years I have been fine. Thank you for posting and hopefully you are feeling much better.

I’m so sorry you felt in a place where you had to do that. When you’re in that place it’s just blackness. I’m so glad to hear that! I am doing much better now, thank you.
 

Meerkat

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Sorry to hear about your issues and glad you changed your mind.
If that is your real name I would suggest changing your username to maintain anonymity considering your concerns.
 
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Thank you so much for replying and spending the time to write that. I’m doing a lot better thank you.
Would there be a log of the incident in order to trace the driver? Not sure if this would be more upsetting for him or not. Would it have been classified as a close call or near miss? Not sure when something is counted as that.
I was scared that the camera could have been used to identify me but as it was dark I presume it wasn’t clear.
With regards to the police, I agree they most probably wouldn’t have arrested me but they would have 136’d me and I couldn’t risk that showing up to my employers or my DBS for the rest of my life (I’m 23). I also thought it would be incredibly attention seeking. I’d only found out the police attended when my boyfriend came home from work and asked me if I knew why the station was sealed off and there were police everywhere (we live in a very small village). I had to sit there and pretend I had no idea. I take it the police would have just done a search and left it be? Thank you again for taking the time with me.
Yes the incident will have been documented, probably by both the train company and the BTP. I imagine it would be classed as a 'near miss', however I'm not sure if that term is exclusively used for incidents involving railway employees. The cameras tend to be pretty poor at night, so I wouldn't worry too much about being identifable from those (assuming the train even had one!).

It's entirely subjective. If I was the driver concerned I'd probably want to know that the person was feeling better; but, it's entirely feasible that they'd rather put the incident behind them entirely and be done with it.

With the BTP as stretched as any other police force, I'd be surprised if they have the resources to continue investigating an incident like this where nothing ultimately transpired. But, I'm not one of their ranks so I couldn't say with certainty.
 

furnessvale

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With the BTP as stretched as any other police force, I'd be surprised if they have the resources to continue investigating an incident like this where nothing ultimately transpired. But, I'm not one of their ranks so I couldn't say with certainty.
As a BTP officer I once had the unenviable task of reporting an attempted suicide person for the offence of obstructing a train. I consoled him as much as I could and told him it was a paper exercise that was going nowhere.
The week after he went in a tunnel and completed the job where a driver couldn't see him to stop in time. :(
 
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As a BTP officer I once had the unenviable task of reporting an attempted suicide person for the offence of obstructing a train. I consoled him as much as I could and told him it was a paper exercise that was going nowhere.
The week after he went in a tunnel and completed the job where a driver couldn't see him to stop in time. :(
Im so sorry you went through this. I can’t even imagine.
What does reporting it entail?
I highly doubt BTP would have been involved as it is a very rural location and it would of taken them a good while to get there but I might be mistaken.
 
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Yes the incident will have been documented, probably by both the train company and the BTP. I imagine it would be classed as a 'near miss', however I'm not sure if that term is exclusively used for incidents involving railway employees. The cameras tend to be pretty poor at night, so I wouldn't worry too much about being identifable from those (assuming the train even had one!).

It's entirely subjective. If I was the driver concerned I'd probably want to know that the person was feeling better; but, it's entirely feasible that they'd rather put the incident behind them entirely and be done with it.

With the BTP as stretched as any other police force, I'd be surprised if they have the resources to continue investigating an incident like this where nothing ultimately transpired. But, I'm not one of their ranks so I couldn't say with certainty.
You’ve been incredibly helpful - thank you. I’m sorry I’ve been asking these questions.
 

furnessvale

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Im so sorry you went through this. I can’t even imagine.
What does reporting it entail?
I highly doubt BTP would have been involved as it is a very rural location and it would of taken them a good while to get there but I might be mistaken.
Reporting involves interviewing and telling the person they may have to appear in court for the stated offence. As I said it is a paper exercise and the man was reassured that it was going nowhere. He wasn't the slightest bit bothered, he had greater worries on his mind. He had psychiatric help but to no avail.
 

AndrewP

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I recently tried to

Just read your post and found it very touching.

Remember you are not alone and everyone goes through bad times and depression or other mental issues just to different degrees and it's often not diagnosed.

If you are not getting any help do so as it's amazing what the right therapy and / or meds can do.

Also posting your message was brave and fantastic you should not be apologising but proud that you have made a big step forward by acknowledging the issue.

Best wishes for the future
 
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I’m sorry I’ve been asking these questions.
Don't be! I think it's probably a good thing to try and learn from your experience and understand what's involved in an event like this. Besides, it makes a change to the usual discussions over the finer details of fare evasion, union disputes or passenger etiquette that are the maintstay of this forum!
 
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Please - no need to be sorry - thank you



Absolutely
Thank you, I truly wasn’t expecting to have such empathic responses given the circumstances. If I can ever help shine a light on this issue from another perspective I am more than happy to try and help.
 

furnessvale

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Why bother then?
It is not unknown for people to sue the railway or other companies for negligence when it was in fact them who were the guilty party. I was involved in several such cases as a railwayman before (eventually) finding myself in BTP.

In can be useful establishing the ground rules so to speak, before a solicitor gets a smell of the cash.
 
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