Metra to install suicide prevention signs

Metra has unveiled plans to install suicide prevention signs on station platforms along each of its 11 lines.

The signage will feature the suicide prevention hotline phone number. The plan marks the first time the railroad has committed to installing signs as part of a more comprehensive suicide prevention initiative launched earlier this year, Metra officials said in a press release.

Metra will work with the DuPage Railroad Safety Council, the McHenry County Mental Health Board, the Lake County Health Department and other members of the mental health community to develop the signs.

"When someone dies on our tracks, it affects so many people — from the victim and their family to our engineers, conductors and first responders, to the customers who can be delayed on the train for up to three hours," said Metra Chairman Norman Carlson. "This is a crisis in need of a long-term solution."

The signs will be developed and finalized as part of a mental health awareness symposium to be hosted by Metra in September. Other aspects of Metra's suicide prevention initiative include training front-line employees to recognize individuals in despair and intervene when necessary.

To date, more than 350 Metra employees have participated in suicide awareness and prevention training.

To learn about other railroads' suicide prevention strategies, read this February feature from Progressive Railroading.