Global Railway Alliance for Suicide Prevention (GRASP)
In the United States, rail accounts for approximately 1% of all suicides each year. In some countries, this percentage is much higher, which has led to significant actions to address this concern. Seeking to learn from thought leaders in this area, FRA and the U.S. DOT Volpe Center maintain collaborative relationships with other countries working on railroad suicide prevention.
In 2013 FRA worked with the U.S. DOT Volpe Center and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to convene a group of international experts who specialize in suicide prevention on the rail system. This group, known as the Global Railway Alliance for Suicide Prevention (GRASP), has met annually to share good practices and recent research.
Participants include researchers, regulators, and rail representatives who specialize in rail trespassing and suicide prevention.
If your organization is interested in participating in GRASP, please reach out to Danielle Hiltunen.
Participants
GRASP membership expands as industry representatives and researchers discover the group and as members reach out to others who are advancing rail suicide mitigation strategies. GRASP leaders maintain a close relationship with other international working groups, such as TreSP-Network, to ensure the two groups complement one another.
In addition to federal participation from FRA, FTA, and the U.S. DOT Volpe Center, below is a list of current and former GRASP members.
- American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (United States)
- Association of American Railroads (U.S.)
- British Columbia Rapid Transit Company (Canada)
- Central Queensland University (Australia)
- International Union of Railways (International)
- Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Japan)
- Network Rail (United Kingdom)
- Independent researcher (Norway)
- Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (United States)
- Pro Rail (Netherlands)
- RSSB (United Kingdom)
- Safety Guru Institute (Croatia)
- TrackSafe (Australia and New Zealand)
- Trafikverket (Sweden)
- Transport Canada (Canada)
- Transport for London (United Kingdom)
- University of Quebec at Montreal (Quebec)
- VTT (Finland)
Notes from International Meetings
Find out what efforts are underway in the GRASP member countries by viewing notes from recent GRASP working group meetings:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.