Preventing railway suicides through level crossing removal: a multiple-arm pre-post study design in Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Purpose Rail level crossing removals to improve transport performance across metropolitan Melbourne (state of Victoria) resulted in new rail fencing and grade-separation of tracks from the surrounding environment at several sites. These design changes restricted pedestrian access to the rail tracks, which is a countermeasure known to prevent railway suicide in other settings. We examined whether any such suicide prevention effect followed the removals. Methods We used a multiple-arm pre-post design to test whether a decrease in monthly frequency of railway suicides occurred at level crossing removal sites (intervention sites), compared to randomly matched sites where level crossings had not yet been removed (control sites). We used data available in the Victorian Suicide Register covering the period 1st January 2008 to 30th June 2021. Results The mean monthly number of railway suicides decreased by 68% within a 500 m radius of intervention sites (RR: 0.32; CI 95% 0.11–0.74) and by 61% within a 1000 m radius of intervention sites (RR: 0.39; CI 95% 0.21–0.68). There was no evidence that the mean monthly number of railway suicides changed at the control sites, either within a 500 m radius (RR: 0.88; CI 95% 0.47–1.56) or a 1000 m radius (RR: 0.82; CI 95% 0.52–1.26). Conclusion The reduction in railway suicides at locations where level crossings were removed, demonstrates the suicide prevention benefits that can be derived from a major infrastructure project even if not initially intended. Planning for major infrastructure projects should include consideration of these benefits, with designs incorporating features to maximise suicide prevention impact.

The effectiveness of installing trackside fencing in preventing railway suicides: a pre-post study design in Victoria, Australia

“…This is an important area for future study given that the Swedish study mentioned above showed that following a reduction in suicides at a site where mid-fencing was installed there was some evidence of an increase in suicides at nearby stations without mid-track fences. 13 Our lack of control sites for the study means our analysis did not account for other potentially relevant changes in the railway environment that have occurred during the period of study (e.g., level crossing removals, which we showed decreased railway suicides near to removal sites 4 ). However, we were able to determine that four of the fencing sites included in our study were within 1000 metres of level crossing sites that were removed at some point during the study period.…”

“…Railway suicide, while relatively rare—estimated to account for 1–12% of suicides internationally 1 2 —carries extensive related psychological costs for family and friends of the deceased as well as for train drivers and witnesses, and the financial implications are substantial. 3 More than 40% of Australian suicides by jumping or lying before a moving object (mostly trains) occur in the state of Victoria 4 where most of the railway network is unfenced.…”

Structural intervention at one bridge decreases the overall jumping suicide rate in Victoria, Australia

“…Noting the desirability of primary prevention, it is crucial that large infrastructure projects such as high bridges incorporate suicide prevention principles into their design from the outset (Clapperton et al. , 2022 ).…”

Using Real-Time Suicide Monitoring Systems to Inform Policy and Practice

“…By removing these crossings, the rail tracks are relocated under roads or on bridges that are inaccessible to the public. While the primary purpose of the removals is to reduce traffic congestion and improve travel time by train, by restricting access to the rail track, we thought it likely that an additional benefit would be a reduction in rail suicides (Clapperton et al, 2022). We therefore used real-time data from the Victorian Suicide Register to test the effectiveness of level-crossing removal on suicide rates, and we were able to do this as the level-crossing removal project is ongoing.…”