Understanding, preventing and mitigating suicides on the rail network

About the study

Railway suicides account for around 4% of all suicides in the UK (RSSB, 2014), with recent data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) indicating that there were 274 fatalities due to suicide on the mainline in the year ending March 2024 (ORR, 2024). Each of these deaths represents a significant and tragic loss of life, with far-reaching impacts on families, friends, rail staff, and the broader community. 

In 2024, the Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to conduct a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) and qualitative interviews with a range of stakeholders, including central government, the rail industry, charities, and other public sector bodies. The aim of the research was to better understand the determinants of rail suicide, the effectiveness of prevention measures, the impacts of rail suicide on staff and passengers, and mitigation strategies to reduce impacts. The research aims to support the DfT in designing future policies, developing guidance, and prioritising research efforts in rail suicide prevention.

Findings

Key determinants of rail suicide 

• Rail suicides often clustered around specific locations, with individuals typically choosing sites near their homes or places of residence. Smaller stations and open tracks were more common locations than larger stations, level crossings, or bridges.
• Timing patterns also played a role, with most rail suicides occurring during daylight hours and being more frequent on Mondays and Tuesdays. Demographic and individual characteristics were significant determinants, as men aged 18-44, particularly those who were unemployed, single, and living alone, faced a higher risk.
• Mental health issues were prevalent among those who died by rail suicide, with many individuals having received psychiatric care or being inpatients at the time of death.

Effective prevention measures 

• Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) were highly effective in underground stations but had limited applicability in the UK's open rail network. Full-length PSDs showed the greatest impact, while half-sized PSDs demonstrated lower effectiveness.
• Track fencing also proved effective, especially given that tracks are the second most common location for rail suicides.
• Other interventions requiring research in UK context included broader public awareness campaigns, mid-platform fencing, staff training programmes and AI powered CCTV systems. 

Impacts on rail staff and passengers 

• The review found evidence to suggest that rail suicides and accidental fatalities can have significant psychological effects on train drivers. These included severe psychological distress and occupational impacts, such as having to take sick leave, having to adapt their work practices and, in some cases, leaving the profession altogether.
• The study found little evidence on the impact of rail suicide on rail passengers. However, some evidence explored the emotional responses and reactions generated by specific railway announcements. These included sadness, sympathy, fatigue and frustration as a result of the disrupted journey.

Methodology

This report presents findings from 50 pieces of academic and grey literature that were selected following a process of systematic searching, screening, prioritising and extraction of evidence, alongside insights from stakeholder interviews. The literature that was reviewed consisted of a mix of evidence reviews, and primary and secondary research. 

It is important to acknowledge that this REA does not capture all available evidence. Rail suicide prevention is an active area of research with new evidence regularly emerging, including ongoing projects by academics and other organisations. The intention was for this research to capture and synthesise the most relevant evidence at the time of writing, building on and complementing previous work in the field. 

Although the focus of the research is the UK, the REA included evidence from other countries where it was felt that the evidence may have applicability to the UK context. Moreover, whilst the primary focus of the REA is rail suicides, where relevant, it also considered fatalities caused by trespassing and at level crossings given that these types of 10 fatalities share some common prevention interventions and impacts on staff and passengers.