To coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week from this week, Monday, 13th to Sunday, 19th May, Samaritans has announced that its Managing Suicidal Contacts programme has trained over 30,000 staff members from Network Rail and the wider rail industry to help people in crisis.

The programme started in 2010 and it has trained rail staff and British Transport Police employees to have the confidence and skills to identify vulnerable people and get them to safety by talking to them.

Since it started, rail staff have made thousands of potentially life-saving interventions.

Samaritans work with the rail industry and British Transport Police (BTP) has proved invaluable in both reducing suicides on the railway and supporting those affected by them.

In addition to training in preventing suicides, the programme is designed to work with the railway industry and within the wider community to remove the stigmatism surrounding suicide and promote help-seeking behaviour.

Samaritans helplines are open for contact by anyone 24 hours a day free of charge by calling 116 123 or online at http://www.samaritans.org/.

Calls will not be shown on callers’ phone bills.

Our partnership with Network Rail started in 2010, and its impact is immense. In recent years, people have had to deal with a global pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, which has had a huge impact on people’s well-being. Having the knowledge and confidence to reach out to someone in distress and offer your time to listen and help is hugely beneficial.

We know that one in five people have suicidal thoughts this partnership with Network Rail means if people need someone to talk to when in crisis, they will not be alone, and help is there for them.

Olivia Cayley, Samaritans head of rail programme

It’ s a brilliant achievement to see that we’ve hit another key milestone with over 30,000 rail staff now trained to help support and identify vulnerable people across the rail network who may be at risk of suicide.

Louise McNally, Network Rail suicide prevention lead

I did the training online during lockdown and it was amazing. The main thing that stuck with me is how little time someone harbours suicidal thoughts and how just asking them a question could break that thought. It changed the whole way I look at things when I’m out and about at work and at the stations.

If I see someone who looks upset, I make sure I go up to them and start a conversation, asking are you okay, are you waiting for a train? I think I was always cautious, but it’s made me more confident to approach people you never know who you re going to help just by saying “hi”.

We have some new guys starting as mobile managers soon and I’m encouraging them to do the training. It’s a brilliant subject to be trained to help people before an emergency and it’s great that Network Rail has embraced it.

Craig Munday, Network Rail mobile operations manager – one of the many beneficiaries of the Managing Suicidal Contacts training