To support the United States railroad industry in their efforts to prevent railroad suicide, FRA and the U.S. DOT Volpe Center formed a working group with commuter rail representatives known as Suicide Prevention for US Rail (SPUR). The goal of this working group is to facilitate communication and knowledge sharing between members seeking to address railroad trespass and suicide in the United States.

The SPUR working group is member driven. The group meets quarterly, and while FRA and the U.S. DOT Volpe Center organize and facilitate meetings, the format and topics are determined by group members. SPUR continues to evolve based on member input to ensure the group is responsive to members’ needs and assist in their efforts to mitigate and prevent rail suicide.

SPUR seeks to inform action, providing a space not just for conversation, but also to help identify how best practices can be both funded and implemented.

Many commuter rail carriers that operate in regions across the United States have participated in the SPUR working group since its inception. The group continues to expand and welcomes any railroad/transit stakeholders interested in contributing to conversations about railroad suicide prevention.

If your organization is interested in participating in SPUR, please reach out to Alexa D’Adamo at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center or Shala Blue at FRA.

Current SPUR Participants

Below are the websites for active SPUR railroad stakeholders:

• BART (California)
• Brightline (Florida)
• Caltrain (California)
• DART (Texas)
• Herzog (Operates in multiple states)
• LIRR (New York)
• MBTA (Massachusetts)
• Metra (Illinois)
• Metro Link (California)
• Metro North (New York)
• SamTrans (California)
• SEPTA (Pennsylvania)
• SunRail (Florida)
• Trinity Metro (Texas)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.