A man died on Saturday evening after being hit by a train on the West Coast Main Line between Wedgwood and Barlaston – the eighth person to be killed on the same stretch of railway line in 19 months.
The man- who has not been identified by the police yet – was hit by a train in the Wedgwood area of Barlaston on Saturday evening.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to the railway line between Wedgwood and Barlaston at 6pm on Saturday. An ambulance, a paramedic officer and a BASICS Doctor attended.
A spokesman said: “Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that nothing could be done to save the man and he was confirmed dead at the scene.”
The latest fatality marks the eighth death on the same section of track since January 2012. Before Saturday’s incident, the most recent death happened in February this year.
In June, villagers in Barlaston became the first in the country to be given specialist training to try and help stop people committing suicide on railway lines near their homes. The Samaritans teamed up with Network Rail to deliver the training to 15 local people. More on that initiative HERE.
In October last year, Stone MP Bill Cash spoke to officials from the Office of Rail Regulation and proposed that a public meeting should be held to discuss the high fatality rate. More HERE.
Also in October, rail chiefs revealed the “trauma” suffered by train drivers caught up in the suicides. Click HERE for more on that.
