Rizwan is part of MTR Crossrail’s station staff team. Until recently he was based at Ealing Broadway station. He won the Samaritans Lifesaver award at the 2018 Rail Staff Awards. When he joined GWR in 2015, part of his training included a one day Samaritans Managing Suicidal Contacts course. Since then he’s spoken to over two dozen people intending to take their own lives on the railways.

“The course included what to look out for and we had to role-play talking a person to a point of safety. This course gave me the confidence, not coming from a railway background, to intervene in these situations.

My first week alone after I finished training and shadowing, I met a suicidal passenger, a man in his late 30s, early 40s. It was 2am in the morning. It was freezing cold. I had my winter uniform on; he was in a t-shirt and jogging bottoms in the ticket hall. It didn’t look right. As part of my security patrol I introduced myself. He said he didn’t need any help. There was one remaining service but once that had gone I went back up and he was still there.

Small talk

I started talking to him, small talk and then as I built rapport, he told me why he’d really come to the station. He had decided to end his life. I listened and I repeated back to him things that he had said he valued in his life. I felt the people he had expressed himself just weren’t interested, partly because of who he was and what he’d done. I listened. It’s about showing you’re listening. You’re not just there to pass time.

I’ve now had 28 successful interventions - 25 men aged late 20s to middle-aged, three women.

It’s not always individuals. Recently, a couple arrived on the station. They were intoxicated but not your average Friday night drunks. I don’t know what they were on. They really stood out. She could hardly stand. I try to get to know my passengers and if anything stands out I do confront it so I offered to help, basic customer service. I found out they hadn’t eaten so I got them some water and food. I asked where they were from and why they were there. The guy opened up and talked about why he’d come. Their kids had been taken away and they saw no reason to be around now. They’d come to an area where they weren’t known to end their lives.

When I mentioned police, he ran towards the track so I put a line block on. His girlfriend still couldn’t move. I managed to persuade him back inside to speak to her. The transport police came, did a welfare check and called an ambulance. I hope they both got the help they needed.

Course gave me confidence

It was very challenging at the time but I’ve been a carer and I try to put myself in other people’s shoes. The Samaritans course also gave me the ability and confidence to confront behaviours that aren’t normal at a station. The issue is often that people are too ashamed to speak about how they feel or haven’t been listened to if they have tried.

The sort of behaviour I’m looking out for is people who are:

• continually missing trains. If they miss every train to every possible destination, I will challenge them.
• walking back and forth from the edge of the platform
• segregating themselves at end of the platform
• removing clothing or wearing inappropriate clothing
• asking about the next fast or non-stop train through the station.

These encounters have taught me a lot about myself as well and helped me in my own life. It has made me more open. Even outside work, if I see something that is not the norm I will say something. This sort of training could help people in lots of other jobs.

The main thing is the confidence to approach someone who is distressed or doesn’t seem to be in the right place. It’s a human thing. Just say hello and build small talk. That small talk leads to so many stories that haven’t ever been expressed even to family and friends.

No stupid question

Talking to a total stranger can really help. I start by introducing myself, talking about the weather. The tone of voice matters. I always let the other person speak. It’s about them. Let them speak. And I get down to their level. If they’re sitting down, I sit down. There’s no such thing as a stupid question.

It’s overwhelming to feel that you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. I have a lot of faith. I’ve had people that have come back. One young lady who was about 23 came back. She’d got help and started to become successful in her profession. She said it was all because of me being there in that moment. The reasons leading to suicide are many and long but being there for that minute can be enough to deflect someone away from taking their life.

Now I’m a manager, I encourage my staff to do the Samaritans training. I tell them my experiences. Part of customer service is approaching someone and seeing if they’re OK. It’s given me real pride in my job. It’s not part of my job description but I take pride in making a difference.

Anyone in any profession should be able to do this. It could be one of your loved ones. I’d recommend the Samaritans course to anyone. if you don’t feel confident having the discussion yourself, you can always point people to the Samaritans and other sources of help.”

Samaritans estimate that for every suspected suicide on the railways, about six have been prevented through potentially life-saving interventions like Rizwan’s. According to the RSSB (Rail Safety and Standards Board), suspected suicides on the railway peaked at 286 in the year 2014-15 and have been falling slowly since. Samaritans Managing Suicidal Contacts course began in 2010 and over 16,000 railway staff have now been trained including MTR Crossrail staff. MTR Crossrail have identified hotspots, built partnership with Landssheriffs and British Transport and estimate that their employees have made more than 160 lifesaving interventions on the railway since beginning operations in May 2015.