Milton Keynes South MP Iain Stewart met with representatives from Network Rail this week to discuss concerns over the number of suicides on the railways in Buckinghamshire.

In the meeting Network Rail confirmed that they are liaising with partner organisations such as British Transport Police (BTP), local councils and the Samaritans following a recent rise in the number of incidents.

Network Rail also informed Mr Stewart of a number of specific local measures they are taking, including:

• Additional training for rail industry staff, to help them spot and support people showing signs of distress;

• Reviewing security fencing;

Those measures are on top of the recently launched campaign 'Small Talk Saves Lives, ' which draws on insights from successful interventions by the 16,000 rail and BTP staff trained in suicide prevention. More details can be found here: www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds/make-small-talk-save-life

Iain said:

"I am pleased Network Rail have acknowledged the problem and my concerns, and have acted immediately putting in place interventions that have proven to be successful in the past.

"I have offered my services to help in any way I can and hopefully with all the relevant stakeholders working together, we can stop these tragic incidents from happening."