Rail commuters are urged to help save lives
COMMUTERS and travellers are being urged to strike up conversations with people who appear vulnerable and are near railway tracks.
Network Rail’s ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’ is about the public trusting their instincts and taking action if they see someone at risk.
Launched by Samaritans, the British Transport Police, Network Rail and train operators, it promotes the message that suicidal thoughts can be temporary and interrupted by a simple question. Research shows many people are held back from this by a fear they might ‘make things worse.’
In fact, if you see warning signs – standing along and isolated, looking distant or withdrawn, staying on the platform a long time without boarding a train – it’s best to respond. This can include talking to them, alerting a staff member or calling the police.
Topics of conversation can range from the weather, to the time of year – it’s not the content of the conversation that matters, but taking people out of their thought process.
In September, Network Rail engineers staff Dave Cairns and Rob Marsh were inspecting a station when they noticed someone looking ‘scared and agitated’ on the line.
Dave, who works as a delivery supervisor, said: “We shouted down to him at first to let him know we were present but he ignored us so then my attention turned to getting the trains stopped.”
Contacting the signaller and halting the trains, he rang the British Transport Police while Rob spoke to the man. Rob said: “Talking calmly to him and I tried encouraging him not to take his own life. We just felt so relieved that we were able to give someone another chance at having a good life instead of see- ing one end right in front of us.”
On average there is an attempted or completed suicide on the rail network every 31 hours. For each life lost on the railway, six are saved. By appealing to the public, its hoped the number of life-saving interventions will increase. A survey of 5,000 passengers found that more than four out of five would approach someone who may be suicidal if they knew the signs to look for, what to say and that they would not make the situation worse.