At the April 2 board meeting, the Joint Powers Board will consider a resolution that reaffirms Caltrain's commitment to rail safety practices, suicide awareness and prevention efforts, partnerships with community and mental health organizations and working with the news media to sensitively and appropriately address the issue of suicide on the rail corridor.
The board will receive a presentation on the various safety, mental health and suicide awareness and prevention efforts in which Caltrain has been engaged. The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at Caltrain's administrative headquarters.
During the first three months of this year Caltrain experienced 10 deaths on the rail corridor. While the coroner makes the final ruling on cause of death, nine are likely to be ruled suicides based on initial indications.
The board is taking this unusual step out of a continuing concern regarding the loss of life due to suicide on the rail system's corridor. Since taking control of the system in 1992, the Caltrain has experienced an average of 13 deaths per year. Ninety percent of these deaths are ruled suicide.
As funding is available, Caltrain looks for engineering opportunities that limit access to the tracks and promote suicide crisis hotlines. Transit police patrol the entire 50 mile corridor and are trained in crisis intervention efforts. In 2014, Transit Police successfully and safely removed 40 despondent individuals from the tracks. Caltrain also participates in a broad range of mental health and suicide prevention organizations to help communities address the difficult issue of suicide through early prevention efforts.
