Great Western Coffee Shop

An internal safety bulletin has listed 22 sites that have the highest rates of suicide the GWML has 2 in the top 5 Southall (9 in the las 5 years)and Ealing Broadway (7 in the last 5 years) Romford is the highest with 10 in the last 5 years, of the 22 the GWML all are between Maidenhead and Paddington there are 5.  Even in the last year 3 of the stations have had 2 suicides each.  (note the geographic area may not be just the station and I am not sure what the end date is for the data)

For trespass hot spots Swindon is 4th Nationally with 13 incidents in the last year and 85 in the last 5 years

I was phoned by a reporter from the Slough Express who was after finding out if there a User Group for Slough.

I said Fiona Mactaggart the MP had tried to start one last year but I don't think it came to anything.

We then discussed the service and I said that FGW had been very badly hit by suicides just lately and mentioned Southall.

Now this thread confirms my perception that FGW has had more than it's share of suicides recently.

Now any suicide is a tradgedy particularly for the family and particularly for the unfortunate driver, but they are even more exasparating for anyone caught up in one as you can expect at least an hours delay.

Whilst it's a sensistive subject I think it's time there was new protocol to deal with these incidents designed to minimise delays. In the old days the body was covered and trains run past at caution. I went past several in my many years of commuting.

When these incidents happen they are not immediately classed as 'suicide'. Only a coroner can assign that as a cause of death.

Consequently, the police have to investigate and gather as much evidence as possible when a person is killed by being hit by a train. Whilst immediate appearances may suggest suicide, that is not a judgement the police can make. Assuming suicide and not gathering evidence could lead to an accidental death or murder/manslaughter being missed. That is why, these days, the time taken to reopen the line(s) can be longer than was the case in the past.

BTP take charge of a fatality. Its first task is to determine if the fatality is suspicious or not. It will do this usually by talking to the driver. Non suspicious means that it was either a suicide or an accident, and the driver is usually able to confirm a suicide, but is less likely to be able to confirm an accident. If the incident is non suspicious, BTP has a target to reopen the line within two hours of the incident occuring. Its expected that the body will be removed within that time by the undertakers. The coroner will decide the cause of death.

If the incident cannot be confirmed as non-suspicious, the site becomes a crime scene, and no targets apply. It could take hours, as the site has to be thoroughly investigated by SOCOs.

My personal experience is that BTP are well aware of the impact of line closures and will work to reopen lines as soon as possible.

That post from 'Oxman' is spot on correct, though just to add that the 2 hour target includes, and can be affected by, the time it takes for officers to arrive on the scene.  For example, the recent suicide at Hayes & Harlington wasn't attended by police for 45 minutes as it was difficult to get access to where the train actually stopped, just short of Stockley Bridge junction.  Civil police will often be the first to arrive and they can be much less aware of the impact of line closures.

Does anyone know WHY the GWML seems to have more than its fair share of suicides ?

The trains are no faster nor more frequent than on other main lines, the opportunities for jumping in front of a train are no more readily available.

The areas served dont seem to be any worse off economicly than those served by other operators.

Or is it just bad luck ?

I understand that people with certain cultural backgrounds have more of a tendency to commit suicide than others, and you'll find some correlation if you look at the cultural mix of the areas with the very high number of cases.  Age and gender information might emphasise this ...

party of the explanation seems to be an infortunate co-incidence of fast frequent trains and the ethnic/cultural mix of the area and the socio-economic mix of the area.   

Although this isn't really the right word to use, suicides are influenced by "fashion".  In that one sucide may trigger further sucides in other desperate people in the neighborhood.  Of course there are lots of different ways to kill yourself, but if trespass on the railway is seen as "the way to do it" in a particular place then that alone may encourage other people to commit suicide in the same way.  This means that reporting of sucicides has to be done really carefully to aviod encouraging copycats.  On a more positive note having suicides concentrated in "hot spots" might make them easier to deal (by fencing, station staff training, for example) wiith than if they we spread out along the whole rail network