The sociology of transport has focused primarily on urban planning, social aspects of demand and mobility studies. Our contribution to this discipline is through the study of social behaviour acted out within a railway environment and the consequences brought about these actions and behaviour. It is within this context that we examine the phenomena of suicides and trespasses on railway property and their impact on public health, as well as the cost to society of these acts.

 

We will analyze data from the European project RESTRAIL - Reduction of suicides and trespasses on railway property (2011). The aim of RESTRAIL is to study railway suicides and trespasses from a European perspective, with a view to reducing these incidents and their consequences through the development and implementation of effective measures and policies for the protection, deterrence or mitigation of this issue. This paper presents some preliminary research regarding railways suicides and trespass accidents in Spain and Europe.