In message , at 02:31:32 on Wed, 20 Jul
2011, Tim Roll-Pickering remarked:
And there did not seem to be any contingency plans at Paddington
despite this being a regular occurrence.

Is there some especial reason for it happening regularly at Paddington - an
open home in the area for instance?

Paddington is where the effects are felt, and where people think not
enough is done to alert passengers to alternative routes (or indeed
where not enough is done to arrange temporary transport - perhaps a bus
shuttle to Heathrow).

The hot spots for the suicides themselves are in the suburbs.
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote:

In message , at 02:31:32 on Wed, 20 Jul
2011, Tim Roll-Pickering remarked:

And there did not seem to be any contingency plans at Paddington
despite this being a regular occurrence.

Is there some especial reason for it happening regularly at Paddington -
an
open home in the area for instance?

Paddington is where the effects are felt, and where people think not
enough is done to alert passengers to alternative routes (or indeed where
not enough is done to arrange temporary transport - perhaps a bus shuttle
to Heathrow).

The hot spots for the suicides themselves are in the suburbs.

I'd think that directing people towards the Underground would be the best
alternative route to Heathrow - I'd guess that's what already happens at
Paddington on such occasions?

In message , at 11:34:39 on Wed, 20 Jul
2011, Mizter T remarked:

I'd think that directing people towards the Underground would be the
best alternative route to Heathrow

That or shared taxis.

- I'd guess that's what already happens at Paddington on such
occasions?

I'm not sure it is. Perhaps someone who has been caught up could
comment. Observations about large numbers of people missing planes
would suggest not.
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote:

In message , at 11:34:39 on Wed, 20 Jul 2011,
Mizter T remarked:

I'd think that directing people towards the Underground would be the best
alternative route to Heathrow

That or shared taxis.

- I'd guess that's what already happens at Paddington on such occasions?

I'm not sure it is. Perhaps someone who has been caught up could comment.
Observations about large numbers of people missing planes
would suggest not.

Whose observations are those? Whilst the OP, CJB, likes to present his posts
in a 'reportage' style, his comments on the matter of missed flights are
little more that his own conjecture.

On Jul 19, 7:35*pm, wrote:

And there did not seem to be any contingency plans at Paddington
despite this being a regular *occurrence.

Do you remember once when some top johnny decided to keep trains
running at normal speed over the top of a covered-up corpse?
I thought that was an extremely sensible idea but the outcry in the
newspapers (which included a picture of a mound-like blanket) was
massively negative.

In article
,
() wrote:

*From:*
*Date:* Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:35:30 -0700 (PDT)

All trains were been cancelled in and out of Paddington for the best
part of this afternoon. Trains only started going through H&H about
an
hour ago (18,00). We arrived at H&H just now and they were still
scrubbing the surface and surrounds of platform 3. All was roped off
there. The smell was over-powering. No further details. We're
getting
about one suicide every three weeks on this line - usually at
Southall
and now H&H. Appalling. And nothing seems to be getting done about
this situation.

And of course thousands of passengers for Heathrow missed their
flights, with consequent missed flight connections, hotel
reservations
and appointments. HCon and HEX (aka BAA) failed to provide
alternative
transportation.

And there did not seem to be any contingency plans at Paddington
despite this being a regular occurrence.

CJB.

There's a news report from 2007 he
http://tinyurl.com/ycy8lx9
apparently, in 2006, one third of all one-unders on NR were in this area.

Roger

Here is an ancient suicide, probably from around 1876. I think the
real location may have been Willesden Jct:

"...Tenway Junction is so big a place, and so scattered, that it is
impossible that all the pundits should by any combined activity
maintain to the letter the order of which our special pundit had
spoken. Lopez, departing from the platform which he had hitherto
occupied, was soon to be seen on another, walking up and down, and
again waiting. But the old pundit had his eye on him, and had followed
him round. At that moment there came a shriek louder than all the
other shrieks, and the morning express down from Euston to Inverness
was seen coming round the curve at a thousand miles an hour. Lopez
turned round and looked at it, and again walked towards the edge of
the platform but now it was not exactly the edge that he neared, but a
descent to a pathway, --an inclined plane leading down to the level of
the rails, and made there for certain purposes of traffic. As he did
so the pundit called to him, and then made a rush at him,--for our
friend's back was turned to the coming train. But Lopez heeded not the
call, and the rush was too late. With quick, but still with gentle and
apparently unhurried steps, he walked down before the flying engine--
and in a moment had been knocked into bloody atoms."

That is from The Pallisers by Anthony Trollope

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

Please tell me how on earth any railway operator is able to
*prevent* people committing suicide?

That isn't the point, Paul. It happens, as you say, and regularly. So
there should be properly organised contingency plans in place by now so
the whole route between Paddington and Heathrow is not shut down for hours
at a time. It has been a regular criticism of the railways that their
plans for handling disruption are not good enough.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On Jul 19, 10:39*pm, wrote:
In article ,

(Paul Corfield) wrote:
Please tell me how on earth any railway operator is able to
*prevent* people committing suicide?

That isn't the point, Paul. It happens, as you say, and regularly. So
there should be properly organised contingency plans in place by now so
the whole route between Paddington and Heathrow is not shut down for hours
at a time. It has been a regular criticism of the railways that their
plans for handling disruption are not good enough.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

More at:

http://www.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/wes...3046-29083644/

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
...

Please tell me how on earth any railway operator is able to *prevent*
people committing suicide?

I understand Southern have had some success with the measures they have
taken at the more notorious spots in their territory. Maybe they employ
people who are prepared to think about the problem rather than just
accepting it?

--
DAS