DutchNews.nl - Holland tops railway suicides league

The Netherlands has 1.4 railway suicides for each million km of train journeys made in a year, topping the European railway suicide league, according to research by the European Railway Agency quoted in Wednesday's Volkskrant.

In Germany there are 0.6 suicides for every million km traveled, and in Belgium 0.9.

In 2006 and 2007, some 190 people in the Netherlands killed themselves by jumping in front of trains. But last year, the figure was down to 164 - which is not included in the ERA figures.

A spokesman for the transport ministry put the Netherlands' total down to the country's small size. 'You are always close to a railway track, and that attracts people who are suicidal,' he told the paper. 'In countries without so much track, people tend to jump from roofs.'

Dutch Rail has put considerable effort into reducing railway suicides by installing cameras and putting up more fences to keep people off the tracks.

It's probably because the Dutch trains are the most punctual in Europe. Yes. Look at Japan!

By Yoshio | September 9, 2009 7:53 PM

Once the new high-speed train comes into service, there will be even larger & louder splats & twice as many smaller pieces of flesh to clean up. What a way to go!)

By stevie | September 10, 2009 1:37 PM

Its regrettable that some poor souls have to end their lives deliberately before their natural expiry date on this earth. It would be advisable to investigate the causes of 'why' of premature end rather than means to end. In our fast-tract pop culture society, success is measured in terms of achieving your ambitions quickly, smartly and without traditional required effort and nostalgic time spent. The teenagers who have miss-spent their premature youth (clubbing, parting, drugs, drinks etc), realize in later years that normal life is about personal commitment, professional responsibility and sufficient time/effort spent, in order to have a normal profession, personal and family life, rather than the misconception of quick, nice and easy money for negligible effort/time. When your wants exceed your needs, then the whole society have a problem, because in the end it’s the society (which has to pick up the pieces after the premature end), which is responsible for the good health, adequate security and social wellbeing of its citizens. The citizens of the mainstream society do not give a damn unless and until their needs do not exceed their wants.

By Small Brother | September 16, 2009 2:03 PM