Press release -
Passengers give generously to help save lives on the railway
London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway customers have donated over £7000 of delay repay claims to support life saving work across the rail network.
The train operators set up the ‘Donate your Delay Repay’ scheme in December 2017 and the initiative has raised £7,186 for Samaritans in its first year.
Donations can be made when customers claim compensation for delayed or cancelled trains, with the money going to the charity instead.
Delay repay compensation is paid when London Northwestern Railway or West Midlands Railway services are delayed by 15 minutes or more. As fatalities continue to be a major contributor to delays and cancellations on the rail network, the train operator wanted to give customers the option to support the life saving work of the charity.
Samaritans works tirelessly to reduce the number of fatalities on the rail network. This includes training staff in how to communicate with suicidal customers, and encouraging travellers to look out for one another with their ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’ campaign.
The charity also assists in the aftermath of incidents by supporting both staff and customers.
Richard Godwin, suicide prevention manager working with London Northwestern Railway, West Midlands Railway and Network Rail said: “We want to thank our customers for their generosity. For every life lost on the rail network, six are saved by an intervention. We continue to work closely with Samaritans as they undertake life saving work across the rail network. We see unfortunate events unfold far too regularly and are committed to doing all we can to reduce the number of fatalities on the railway. This scheme is completely optional and there is no pressure for people to donate, so we are so grateful to all our customers for all their support.”
Neil Peters, strategic programme manager from Samaritans, said: “When someone is feeling overwhelmed, it’s vital that they are listened to and supported to work through difficult thoughts and feelings. With our confidential 24-hour service, available 365 days a year, we are often the only place people can turn to. Every six seconds somebody contacts Samaritans and the charity responds to more than 5.7 million calls for help a year. Thanks to West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway, and the generosity of their passengers, we can continue to raise awareness of our services and raise vital funds. Together, we will save lives.”
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For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email press.office@wmtrains.co.uk
About Samaritans
Samaritans Vision is that fewer people die by suicide. The charity works to alleviate emotional distress and reduce the incidence of suicide feelings and suicidal behaviour.
The charity does this by:
- Being available 24 hours a day to provide emotional support for people who are struggling to cope, including those who have had thoughts of suicide.
- Reaching out to high risk groups and communities to reduce the risk of suicide
- Working in partnership with other organisations, agencies and experts
- Influencing public policy and raising awareness of the challenges of reducing suicide
For more information go to samaritans.org
About West Midlands Trains
For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email press.office@wmtrains.co.uk
West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.
- London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.
- West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.
For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk
The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.
West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.
The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com
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