Prevention expert to help tackle rise in railway suicides New move to halt rise in deaths on network

TRANSPORT for West Midlands has turned to a suicide specialist to help combat the rising number of deaths on the railways.

A report for the body notes that the number of suicides and suicide attempts on railway lines across the region has continued to rise in recent years.

Figures from across the region show that there were 477 suicides in the West Midlands in total last year, including railway deaths for which no specific figures was revealed.

This is nearly double the figure of just ten years prior, when 245 suicides were recorded for 2007.

During a recent interview the West Midlands Combined Authority’s mental health chief, Sean Russell, said the region should be setting itself the target of zero suicides every year, saying that “every loss of life is one too many”.

And the combined authority could be about to take one of the first steps to help combat suicides in the region, papers from the meeting revealed.

“The number of suicides and suicidal attempts on the railway has continued to rise,” it says.

“This is true of both the West Midlands region and also nationwide.

“West Midlands Trains (WMT) are working closely with the Samaritans and the British Transport Police to try and reduce this tragic trend.

“To assist them in this endeavour, WMT have arranged for Richard Godwin – one of Network Rail’s suicide prevention and route crime specialists – to join them on a secondment.

“Richard joined at the end of September and will be attending the December WMRE Board meeting to provide an update on WMT’s suicide prevention activities.”

Mr Godwin has taken part in anti-suicide campaigns in the past, such as 2017’s ‘Rail Pastors’ initiative.

This saw trained volunteers from local churches patrolling platforms and trains on the line between Stourbridge and Birmingham Snow Hill looking out for vulnerable and distressed people.