West Midlands Railway reminds customers Samaritans is there for them 24/7 to mark Samaritans Awareness Day

West Midlands Railway (WMR) is reminding passengers they don’t have to face their challenges alone this Friday (24 July) for Samaritans Awareness Day.

This weekend, the train operator is providing Samaritans volunteers with free passes to travel on WMR routes and raise awareness of the charity to passengers.

Railway organisations like WMR and Network Rail hold longstanding partnerships with Samaritans to raise awareness of the support it offers, signpost vulnerable individuals to mental health services, and organise suicide prevention training for railway staff members.

Since the start of the partnership with Network Rail in 2010, 38,000 rail staff have been trained by Samaritans which led to 2,129 life-saving interventions on the railway last year.

At Wolverhampton station, WMR opened its first mental health hub in 2025, which had more than 2,000 visitors in its first year. The company also has a dedicated security and safeguarding manager to drive projects which support vulnerable passengers.

Thomas Harty, WMR security and safeguarding manager, said: “No matter what someone is going through, they don't have to face it alone. This weekend, we are encouraging our customers to speak to volunteers when travelling with us, so they can find out more about what the charity offers and pass on the message. You never know who might need to hear it.”

Megan Winnington, regional development lead at Samaritans, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to West Midlands Railway for its continued support of Samaritans and for helping us to share the message that Samaritans is here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Samaritans Awareness Day. We answer a call for help every 10 seconds so if you’re in crisis, remember there is support out there. Samaritans is here to listen, day or night, because listening can save lives.”

Jon Crampton, head of communications for Network Rail's Central route, said: "The Samaritans make a huge difference to so many people and we are proud to work with them across the rail network. Samaritans Awareness Day is a great way to showcase the vital work they do 365 days a year, and we encourage anyone who needs to talk, to reach out and speak to them as soon as possible."

Visit https://www.samaritans.org/ for more information, or call 116 123 to talk to a Samaritans volunteer.