RAILWAY SUICIDE IN ENGLAND AND WALES, 1850-1949

According to the Official statistics of the Registrar General, the first railway suicide occurred in 1852 and more than 10,000 suicides recorded during the period 1852-1949. Throughout this time the number of male cases always exceeded the number of female cases and the railway accounted for a greater proportion of male than female suicides in all but two years. By the early decades of the twentieth century, the railway was used in 5-6% of male suicides and 3-4% of female suicides. The incidence of railway suicide was correlated with the growth of the railway system offering some evidence for the relationship between availability of a lethal means and suicide rates.