Wishaw Scotrail worker wins award from Samaritans for life-saving intervention

A railway worker who got a vulnerable person to safety using WhatsApp messages has been recognised for her quick thinking. 

Megan Moore, who works for ScotRail, took home the Samaritans Lifesaver award at this year’s RailStaff Awards. 

The award recognises individuals who have intervened to potentially save the life of a vulnerable person on the rail network, as well as demonstrating the power talking and listening to someone in need can have.   

Megan, from Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, was on shift monitoring customer queries on social media in January 2023 when she got an alarming message from someone who she thought was intent on taking their own life.  

The 28-year-old said: “They said they wanted to apologise to the driver of one of our services from Glasgow Queen Street. They said it was nothing personal and they hoped it wouldn’t affect the driver for too long.  

“I knew something wasn’t right. There were no identifying details from the message – apart from their name - so I responded by offering to help and speak to them.” 

Megan – who works as an External Relations Assistant –kept the person talking and eventually found out what station they were at.  

Using her teamwork skills, she got in touch with the control room, CCTV operators, and station staff who found the person nearby. British Transport Police attended and helped them to safety.  

Megan added: “Having completed the Samaritans’ Managing Suicidal Contacts course, I knew I had to keep them talking and try and get as much information out of them as possible. Especially as I couldn’t see what was going on and very little detail to work with. 

“You don’t really know what you’re up against if you can’t see the person. That being said, it is important to know what actions to take such as calling the control room or the CCTV operators.  

“However, part of it is going with your gut feeling and determining who will be able to get to that person and get them to a place of safety the fastest. 

“I’m just glad that it was a positive outcome and I managed to help that person in a time of need. That’s the most important thing.” 

The RailStaff Awards at the NEC Birmingham celebrated the achievements and the heroes of the industry. It was presented by tv personality, Gethin Jones.   

The Samaritans rail team – which offers training to the rail industry and vital support following an incident – won a Highly Commended award in the Safety Person or Team category.  

Olivia Cayley, Head of Rail Programme at Samaritans, said: “Congratulations to Megan whose quick-thinking meant this person was able to get to safety and get more support for what they were dealing with.   

“Megan’s actions are a great example of how Samaritans training is a vital asset for the rail industry, and we hope her story will inspire others to continue to look out for one another, as well as encourage more of our rail industry colleagues to enrol in our training.”  

Anyone can contact Samaritans, free, 24/7, 365 days a year, on 116 123, email  [email protected] or visit www.samaritans.org.