15,000 rail staff trained by Samaritans

This from the Samaritans...

15,000 rail staff trained by Samaritans in suicide prevention

Around 1 in 6 rail staff is now trained to prevent people taking their lives on the railway, as part of the suicide prevention partnership between Samaritans, Network Rail, British Transport Police (BTP) and the wider rail industry. Potentially life-saving interventions are increasing at the same time.

Between April 2016 and the end of March this year, 1,593* interventions were made across Britain’s rail network by staff, British Transport Police, local police and the public, an increase of 40 percent on the previous year.

In the same period, suicides and suspected suicides on the rail network dropped from 253 to 237**, showing a decline in rail suicides for the second year in a row. This is a fall of 18 percent in two years and 2016/17 represents the lowest yearly figure since 2010.

Good effort.

Cross-hatch madness - a mea culpa!

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 5th July... 

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 19th July.

Quadruple naming for Samaritans founder

Amidst all the negative noise some good news!

Yesterday four railway companies named rolling stock at Euston in honour of the Rev Chad Varah, founder of the Samaritans.

Virgin...

London Midland...

DRS...

And Network Rail - although their loco, a class 57, was called away to other duties...

No matter!

As the Samaritans do such sterling work Eye is happy to applaud all concerned.

Good effort!