A Fatality Hotline has been set up on which train drivers involved in non-suspicious fatality incidents can make a direct report, with a view to restoring rail services more quickly – the current average is 74 minutes.

Network Rail-funded stickers featuring the 020 7391 5304 Hotline number and a list of information required by the police – train headcode, journey details and pre-incident behaviour of the victim – are being placed in every train cab to encourage drivers to make early contact with a BTP control room immediately after they have reported the incident to a signaller.

As a priority, BTP needs to determine whether a fatality is non-suspicious before a dignified but prompt recovery of the body can take place, followed by speedy restoration of service.  

BTP assistant chief constable (operations) Alan Pacey said: “Train drivers are very often the crucial or only witness to a death on the railway, so the sooner we can talk to them directly, the sooner services can resume running. We understand that involvement in a fatality incident can be very traumatic for a driver, but that early initial account is absolutely vital.”

An investigation into a fatality deemed non-suspicious is still needed for the subsequent Coroner’s or Procurator Fiscal’s inquest, but is likely to be completed far quicker than the establishment of a crime scene and investigation into a suspicious death.

But ASLEF general secretary Keith Norman expressed reservations at the initiative, saying that with so much on their minds when faced with a death on the line, drivers’ ac-counts of incidents could well be more coherent once they had got over the initial trauma.

“It seems to us that once the incident has been reported to the signaller, that person might well be better placed to liaise with BTP,” he said. “Of course, we would want to give every assistance, but it’s important to consider how difficult a time this is for the driver.”

BTP media relations manager Simon Lubin reiterated Alan Pacey’s comments and stressed that an understandably upset driver is in no way compelled to immediately make contact with the police.

“We cannot take decisions based on second or third-hand information we may receive, and our reminder sticker is only to ask drivers to contact us if they feel able to do so,’ he said.