Fatalities at and around Southall Station (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[12hoursunday]

Judging by the length of the delay of this particular incident ( 4 1/2 hours +) I would of thought that this was more than just a suicide. If the police decide that a crime may of committed then the process of collecting evidence etc needs to undertaken. Normally when it's plain that any such incident is in fact just suicide then the line is re-opened in a fraction of the time. Gone are the days however when any body parts were just covered up with a black bag for collection later.

[eneville]

I experienced the disruption first hand tonight trying to get home from Paddington.

I do not mean to be insensitive, but so many fatalities happen at Southall station, something must be done to try and prevent this.

Why can there not be tube style platform edge doors (see picture)?

And if this is too expensive perhaps fence off the fast line platforms, I know access is needed to these platforms sometimes for late night/early morning services, but why not separate the platforms from the normal station and just have gated access for when it is needed?

I too suffered the delays, from Maidenhead to Thatcham. Normally would be home at 18:45, didn't get home till about an hour and 15 later.

Does anyone have a link to a news article about this, I'd be interested to see some sort of follow up. What I can't understand is why the trains have to go all the way to the problematic station, why not drop off and turn around one station away and provide a bus service for the leg that has a problem.

Passengers shouldl be compenstated from the deceased's estate.

[Lee]

Welcome to the forum, eneville.

[goblin]

It took me 10 hours to get from Brighton to Barnstaple - a journey that would have been even longer (13 hrs) if some kind person hadn't taken me off the train at Tiverton with her and driven me home from there - but I just want to say I thought the staff at Reading were great!  It was a hugely difficult situation for everybody, with, naturally loads of stress and anxiety - and the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff kept us continuously updated and got us moving as soon as they could.  Thanks, guys!

[Shazz]

Or why not do what they do elsewhere - scrape up the remains, get the trains running and ask questions later.  99.99% are suicides - why inconvenience several thousands of passengers

I'm sure they really couldnt care less if they've become suicidal. (the person)

Over here theres a lot of us "culture" (sueing) moving in, so unless the cops do it properly, people could claim negligence/other crap to gain money.

[smokey]

The use of platform edge doors won't stop Suicides because there's more than one way to get on to a Railway Track.

However, (and I expect many will disagree with my thoughts on Suicide).
Ending it all under a train is a Selfish way to Die, it's messy, not all ways painless, and effects the staff involved, some so badly they never drive a train again, some NEVER work again.

Yet for the Suicidal what help is available to help them, for what ever reason people become sucidal, Ok they can see their Doctor, often ending up on Pills, that's only a short term fix.

Samaritans offer a Listening Service, they don't offer direct help, (I'm a trained Samaritan), what is the right advice for one man, is wrong for the next man.
Samaritians talk people through their problems and get the caller to think positive and get them to put forward their own cures to their problems.

However I've held the view for a long time that the NHS should issue a booklet on ending your life, that gives lots of Help line numbers and contacts so all the help you need is there, and for those still wanting to end it all some basic ideas on how to end your life.

Some would say it's wrong legally to offer such advice, well it's also illegal to use illegal drugs but the NHS freely give out Needles to Junkies, there are ways to end it all that have much less effect on the body, and anyone taking their life under a Train needs to remember that SOMEBODY, often Wife/Husband has to identify the Body, well let's face it THE BITS.

Would you really want the last memory your partner has of you, to be your body in bits!!!

[smithy]

Judging by the length of the delay of this particular incident ( 4 1/2 hours +) I would of thought that this was more than just a suicide. If the police decide that a crime may of committed then the process of collecting evidence etc needs to undertaken. Normally when it's plain that any such incident is in fact just suicide then the line is re-opened in a fraction of the time. Gone are the days however when any body parts were just covered up with a black bag for collection later.

all depends on the circumstances how long line closed for,in this case it was a woman who decided to take her young child with her (led to believe was about 12 months old)
the area is treated as a crime scene and not reopened until all evidence is obtained and bits of body removed,understandable in my opinion regardless of how long this takes.whats more fgw or any other toc for that matter has no say in when line is reopened.
for all the posters complaining about the disruption i have one question   how would you feel if it was one of your loved ones involved and the police did not collect all the evidence and then left the remains on the track until a later time,just to save some travellers a bit of disruption?

by the end of play yesterday there had been 3 fatalities
1 southall
2 hilsea near pompey
3 between southampton and eastleigh
must of been something in the air?

[gpn01]

It's very sad when somebody decides that they're going to commit suicide.  I feel also for the people picking up the pieces (metaphorically and physically) such as the train driver, etc.  The police always need to treat a suicide as suspicious until it's proven otherwise - think of the consequences if all deaths were treated initially as suicides and evidence was thrown away before a chance to see if it was actually a murder or not?  Could replace the traditional foundations of buildings and motorways as a new venue for criminal elements to dispose of people 

End result is that we're all delayed on occasion by several hours.  But our lives go on. We don't have grieving families or traumatised staff to worry about.  Sometimes you just need to grin and bear it and be greatful that your life isn't as desperate as those who've leapt in front of the train.  All FGW^▸ (First Great Western) can really do is keep the delays to a reasonable minimum and provide pasengers with regular updates about what's happening.

[Mookiemoo]

The use of platform edge doors won't stop Suicides because there's more than one way to get on to a Railway Track.

However, (and I expect many will disagree with my thoughts on Suicide).
Ending it all under a train is a Selfish way to Die, it's messy, not all ways painless, and effects the staff involved, some so badly they never drive a train again, some NEVER work again.

Yet for the Suicidal what help is available to help them, for what ever reason people become sucidal, Ok they can see their Doctor, often ending up on Pills, that's only a short term fix.

Samaritans offer a Listening Service, they don't offer direct help, (I'm a trained Samaritan), what is the right advice for one man, is wrong for the next man.
Samaritians talk people through their problems and get the caller to think positive and get them to put forward their own cures to their problems.

However I've held the view for a long time that the NHS should issue a booklet on ending your life, that gives lots of Help line numbers and contacts so all the help you need is there, and for those still wanting to end it all some basic ideas on how to end your life.

Some would say it's wrong legally to offer such advice, well it's also illegal to use illegal drugs but the NHS freely give out Needles to Junkies, there are ways to end it all that have much less effect on the body, and anyone taking their life under a Train needs to remember that SOMEBODY, often Wife/Husband has to identify the Body, well let's face it THE BITS.

Would you really want the last memory your partner has of you, to be your body in bits!!!

I've lost a cousin to suicide ....... but if he hadnt done it the way he did, he would have found a way.

Someone who is determined to end it, will do it.  You are not going to stop them (not in the long term)

I actually agree about the giving advice.

[tom-langley]

The use of platform edge doors won't stop Suicides because there's more than one way to get on to a Railway Track.

I don^t know this for a fact but I believe most of the suicides are from the station or surrounding area, and I would have thought that they would have gained access from the station.

The platform edge doors would be expensive to install, but you cant put a cost on a human life, and it would also save the train operators money, because of the cost of the delays and there would be less need to replace train drivers who go off sick after being involved in this sort of thing, many don^t drive trains again!

Even if they decided the edge doors are too expensive, just improving the fencing to try and stop people getting onto the tracks, like I said before stop all access to the platforms that the fast trains run past, this could be achieved at a relatively low cost.

I think it is a very selfish way to commit suicide, I bet they don^t think about what they put the poor train driver though, you are potentially ruining someone^s livelihood many, of the drivers never recover from being involved in these incidents.

[Ollie]

If someone wants to end their life, a fence isn't going to stop them.

Southall has a road bridge which people jump from as well. It isn't always just jumping off a platform.

[tom-langley]

So put a fence on the bridge I only count 3 bridges in the southall area all on busy roads, if someone was climbing it hopefully someone would have the sense to call the police. Realistically how much is that going to cost compared to the cost of sorting out the mess after.

I agree if someone is going to end their life then you are not going to stop them, but if you make it harder for them to do it in this way, increasing the chance of intervention, and not involving innocent people on the railway just going about there business.

[vacman]

Think i'd jump in front of a train if I had to live in Southall!! 

[Conner]

Think i'd jump in front of a train if I had to live in Southall!! 

Oy,
My Great Uncle lives in Southall, he often says he is the only white person living there.

[Ollie]

Even by fencing a bridge, or end of platforms, whatever, people will still be able to get on to the track one way or another.
Bad maybe, but true.