Can societal collaboration prevent railway suicide?

Can societal collaboration prevent railway suicide?

Helena Rådbo, Karlstad UniversityMaria Hedqvist, Trafikverket

Content• The Swedish Railway system• Railway suicide• Restrail• Pilot project• Societal collaboration• Results this far and discussion

2Hedqvist-Rådbo IRSC - Vancouver Canada - October 2013

Railway in Sweden


• Trafikverket• 14700 km• 80% electrified• 560 stations• 6.2 billion passenger km• 110 fatalities 2010

Suicide in Sweden


• 17 out of every 100.000 citizens• Decline with exception of age 15-24 years• Vision Zero

– Killed in the transport system– Suicides

Railway suicide in Sweden


• 7% of all suicides occur in the transport system (all modes)

• 70% of the fatalities in the railway system• 5% of the total no. of suicides each year

Restrail• Co-funded EC FP7• Coordinated by UIC• 17 partners – 12 countries• Reduce the occurrence of suicide and

trespass and service disruptions• Analysis and identification of cost effective

prevention and mitigation measures


Pilot project


• Measures assessed as promising or recommended

• Project already in process• Important to evaluate and not just believe

that it works!• Purpose is to describe

the collaboration andto measure theeffects

Societal collaboration to prevent Railway suicides

• A model on how stakeholders should act• Involves all threats of suicides outside of a

persons home• Involved stakeholders

– The Police authority– The Emergency rescue services– SOS Emergency services– The Ambulance services– The psychiatric care units– The Transport Administration


Participants and their responsiblity• The Police Authority

– always alerted to the threat of suicide• The Emergency Rescue service

– provided by municipalities• SOS Emergency

Service – is the organization

that first receives an alarm


Participants responsiblity• The Traffic Control Center

– is alerted to introduce a temporary stop of the traffic on the identified site

• The ambulance service – is dispatched to help with transportation and

medical expertise• The Transport Administration

– Accident site manager is called to the site to make sure that the track is safe for S & R

• Psychiatric care– are informed of threats of suicide and are

prepared to receive the suicidal person


Workflow• Anyone can initiate a traffic stop• If an exact location – traffic stop • If a larger search area – temporary speed

reduction until the person is found• S & R conducted by police, rescue services

and ambulance services• Ambulance transport the person to

psychiatric care


Outcome• August 2012- May 2013

– 13-18 train stops executed each month– Average stoping time – 15 minutes– 66 people were helped to psyciatric care– 15 deceased– 28 traffic stops due to crime


Important collaboration• It is the system that reacts

– not the person in need of help• 66 persons was helped to psyciatric care

– What if 10% acutally would have commited suicide? Then almost 7 persons were saved

• Continue evaluation with interviews


Or contact either of us through email

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Thank you for listening!

You can find more informationabout Restrail on the website

http://www.restrail.eu

mailto:[email protected]

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Can societal collaboration prevent railway suicide?