by A mum whose best friend sadly died after being hit by a train last month is now campaigning for increased security at smaller stations at night, to spare other families the pain.
Jill Canovan took her own life at Heaton Chapel train station in Stockport at around 4am on Monday, June 3, after a long battle with mental health issues.
Emergency services rushed to the area but the mother of two was pronounced dead at the scene. She was only 46 years old and her 25-year-old daughter Amber was left devastated.
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Maxine Campbell, 50, from Stockport, who knew Jill for more than 30 years, was devastated when she found out the next morning and has launched a petition to make small railway stations safer. According to data from the Office of Rail and Road, there were 300 suicides or suspected suicide attempts on the UK’s main line between April 2022 and March 2023, resulting in 236 deaths.
Maxine believes that securing stations with a barrier or gate, which could be locked at night after passenger trains have run, would help give people time to think.
An additional barrier could also be ensuring proper lighting or staffing at night for Maxine, who lost a family member in similar circumstances in 2020 and felt unable to board a train since Jill’s death due to her grief .
“I’ve known her since she was 14 and she died at 46, so it’s a long-term friendship, she was like a sister to me,” Maxine said.
“I have not been to every single train station in the United Kingdom, but I know many of the smaller ones, you can access the platforms when there are no passenger trains. I know that it is it’s going to happen again, but I’d like to think we can do something to stop other families from having to go through this grief.”
Her petition on Change.org calls on the Government to “implement security measures at all small railway stations across the country at night”.
Maxine described Jill as “the life of the party” and said “you’ll never find another soul like hers”.
“When she first died, I was very upset, but then I would think of her laughing and just being silly,” said Maxine. “I would start laughing and get mad at myself, because I wanted to be sad. She was kind and generous – everyone classed her as a best friend.”
But Maxine also knew that Jill had battled mental health issues “on and off” for most of her life.
“I knew she was struggling before, but I didn’t know it was happening now and to what extent,” she said. “In the past, we were able to discuss things and help her see another way, but not this time.”
Jill was pronounced dead when emergency services arrived at the scene in the early hours of June 3.
“The train station has two entrances but there are no barriers, you can walk straight onto the platform,” she said. “Late at night, there are no passenger trains, only freight trains that do not slow down.”
Maxine is convinced that if Heaton Chapel station had been closed to the public, Jill might be alive today.
“If there was a blockage that night, I’m not saying she wouldn’t have done something to herself later,” Maxine said. “But that night, if she couldn’t get into the station, she wouldn’t have gone. It was a barrier, or at least more difficult and someone might have seen her climb over (the barrier).
She also pointed out that many of the small stations she has visited over the years are poorly lit and unmanned at night.
Since the incident, Maxine has avoided stations and traveled by train.
“I can’t imagine having to go on a train because the sound of it brings everything back and it’s quite fresh,” she said.
Because of this it is difficult to visit her 32-year-old son and his partner in London at the moment. I would find it difficult to visit them now,” she said.
“It’s fresh, so maybe in a year or two, I might be able to, but right now I can’t. I don’t even like to say the word (train).”
A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group said: “Safety is always our top priority. We are working closely with British Transport Police and industry partners to ensure our customers and staff are safe and secure.”
“We are always looking to make improvements to keep the railway a safe and supportive place for people who are struggling and we encourage our customers and staff to speak up and ask for help when they need it. “
For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org.
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