Environmental Risk Factors for Railway Suicide: A Nationwide Analysis of England’s Mainline Network (2019–2021)
Authors: Marzano, L., Brown, S., Spence, R., Joyner, L., Norman, H., Fields, B., Barbin, A., Kruger, I., Hart, S.M.D.
Journal: Archives of Suicide Research
Publication Date: 01/01/2025
eISSN: 1543-6136
ISSN: 1381-1118
DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2025.2595428
Abstract:Objective: Suicide is the leading cause of death on the railway networks, yet little is known about the geography and socio-environmental determinants of such deaths in England. Method: We analyzed official records of all suspected suicides recorded on England’s mainline railway from April 2019 to March 2021 (N = 436), alongside area-level data (e.g., deprivation and urbanicity) and railway characteristics (e.g., station size). We used SaTScan’s Poisson discrete scan statistic to detect spatial–temporal clusters and compared suicides at station and non-station locations, including stations with no recorded suicides over the study period. Results: Most railway suicides—particularly those occurring at stations—took place in urban areas, typically at locations with a very low incidence of previous suicides. A large majority (84.5%) lived within 2 miles of a station and died close to home (median 2.1 miles) or their last known location (1.5 miles). Suicides occurred most often at stations (43.3%), followed by trackside locations (37.6%), foot/level crossing (15.1%) or other rail areas (3.9%). These were often not the nearest station to the deceased (59.6%), but were generally smaller and more likely to be served by fast/non-stopping trains. Across the network, stations without suicides were far less likely to be served by such trains (66% vs. 94.3%; OR = 6.62, 95% CI 3.33–13.18). Conclusions: Urbanicity and the availability of non-stopping train services are key predictors of railway suicide. Restricting access to high-speed trains—especially at smaller urban stations and at non-station locations—could be an effective element of broader strategies and local partnership approaches to prevent suicide.
https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/42313/
Source: Scopus
Environmental Risk Factors for Railway Suicide: A Nationwide Analysis of England’s Mainline Network (2019–2021)
Authors: Marzano, L., Brown, S., Spence, R., Joyner, L., Norman, H., Fields, B., Barbin, A., Kruger, I., Hart, S.M.D.
Journal: Archives of Suicide Research
Publication Date: 01/01/2026
Volume: 30
Issue: 3
Pages: 808-826
eISSN: 1543-6136
ISSN: 1381-1118
DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2025.2595428
Abstract:Objective: Suicide is the leading cause of death on the railway networks, yet little is known about the geography and socio-environmental determinants of such deaths in England. Method: We analyzed official records of all suspected suicides recorded on England’s mainline railway from April 2019 to March 2021 (N = 436), alongside area-level data (e.g., deprivation and urbanicity) and railway characteristics (e.g., station size). We used SaTScan’s Poisson discrete scan statistic to detect spatial–temporal clusters and compared suicides at station and non-station locations, including stations with no recorded suicides over the study period. Results: Most railway suicides—particularly those occurring at stations—took place in urban areas, typically at locations with a very low incidence of previous suicides. A large majority (84.5%) lived within 2 miles of a station and died close to home (median 2.1 miles) or their last known location (1.5 miles). Suicides occurred most often at stations (43.3%), followed by trackside locations (37.6%), foot/level crossing (15.1%) or other rail areas (3.9%). These were often not the nearest station to the deceased (59.6%), but were generally smaller and more likely to be served by fast/non-stopping trains. Across the network, stations without suicides were far less likely to be served by such trains (66% vs. 94.3%; OR = 6.62, 95% CI 3.33–13.18). Conclusions: Urbanicity and the availability of non-stopping train services are key predictors of railway suicide. Restricting access to high-speed trains—especially at smaller urban stations and at non-station locations—could be an effective element of broader strategies and local partnership approaches to prevent suicide.
https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/42313/
Source: Scopus
Environmental Risk Factors for Railway Suicide: A Nationwide Analysis of England's Mainline Network (2019-2021).
Authors: Marzano, L., Brown, S., Spence, R., Joyner, L., Norman, H., Fields, B., Barbin, A., Kruger, I., Hart, S.M.
Journal: Arch Suicide Res
Publication Date: 2026
Volume: 30
Issue: 3
Pages: 808-826
eISSN: 1543-6136
DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2025.2595428
Abstract:OBJECTIVE: Suicide is the leading cause of death on the railway networks, yet little is known about the geography and socio-environmental determinants of such deaths in England. METHOD: We analyzed official records of all suspected suicides recorded on England's mainline railway from April 2019 to March 2021 (N = 436), alongside area-level data (e.g., deprivation and urbanicity) and railway characteristics (e.g., station size). We used SaTScan's Poisson discrete scan statistic to detect spatial-temporal clusters and compared suicides at station and non-station locations, including stations with no recorded suicides over the study period. RESULTS: Most railway suicides-particularly those occurring at stations-took place in urban areas, typically at locations with a very low incidence of previous suicides. A large majority (84.5%) lived within 2 miles of a station and died close to home (median 2.1 miles) or their last known location (1.5 miles). Suicides occurred most often at stations (43.3%), followed by trackside locations (37.6%), foot/level crossing (15.1%) or other rail areas (3.9%). These were often not the nearest station to the deceased (59.6%), but were generally smaller and more likely to be served by fast/non-stopping trains. Across the network, stations without suicides were far less likely to be served by such trains (66% vs. 94.3%; OR = 6.62, 95% CI 3.33-13.18). CONCLUSIONS: Urbanicity and the availability of non-stopping train services are key predictors of railway suicide. Restricting access to high-speed trains-especially at smaller urban stations and at non-station locations-could be an effective element of broader strategies and local partnership approaches to prevent suicide.
https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/42313/
Source: PubMed
Environmental Risk Factors for Railway Suicide: A Nationwide Analysis of England's Mainline Network (2019-2021)
Authors: Marzano, L., Brown, S., Spence, R., Joyner, L., Norman, H., Fields, B., Barbin, A., Kruger, I., Hart, S.M.
Journal: ARCHIVES OF SUICIDE RESEARCH
Publication Date: 03/07/2026
Volume: 30
Issue: 3
Pages: 808-826
eISSN: 1543-6136
ISSN: 1381-1118
DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2025.2595428
https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/42313/
Source: Web of Science
Environmental Risk Factors for Railway Suicide: A Nationwide Analysis of England's Mainline Network (2019-2021).
Authors: Marzano, L., Brown, S., Spence, R., Joyner, L., Norman, H., Fields, B., Barbin, A., Kruger, I., Hart, S.M.
Journal: Archives of suicide research : official journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research
Publication Date: 07/2026
Volume: 30
Issue: 3
Pages: 808-826
eISSN: 1543-6136
ISSN: 1381-1118
DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2025.2595428
Abstract:Objective
Suicide is the leading cause of death on the railway networks, yet little is known about the geography and socio-environmental determinants of such deaths in England.Method
We analyzed official records of all suspected suicides recorded on England's mainline railway from April 2019 to March 2021 (N = 436), alongside area-level data (e.g., deprivation and urbanicity) and railway characteristics (e.g., station size). We used SaTScan's Poisson discrete scan statistic to detect spatial-temporal clusters and compared suicides at station and non-station locations, including stations with no recorded suicides over the study period.Results
Most railway suicides-particularly those occurring at stations-took place in urban areas, typically at locations with a very low incidence of previous suicides. A large majority (84.5%) lived within 2 miles of a station and died close to home (median 2.1 miles) or their last known location (1.5 miles). Suicides occurred most often at stations (43.3%), followed by trackside locations (37.6%), foot/level crossing (15.1%) or other rail areas (3.9%). These were often not the nearest station to the deceased (59.6%), but were generally smaller and more likely to be served by fast/non-stopping trains. Across the network, stations without suicides were far less likely to be served by such trains (66% vs. 94.3%; OR = 6.62, 95% CI 3.33-13.18).Conclusions
Urbanicity and the availability of non-stopping train services are key predictors of railway suicide. Restricting access to high-speed trains-especially at smaller urban stations and at non-station locations-could be an effective element of broader strategies and local partnership approaches to prevent suicide.https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/42313/
Source: Europe PubMed Central