A DRAMATIC increase in suicides on Victoria’s regional train network can be attributed to the installation of safety barriers on Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge, the state’s regional rail chief says. V/Line chief executive Rob Barnett said suicides on the network had more than doubled in the past two years, with anecdotal evidence pointing to the installation of barriers on the bridge as a major factor.Installed after five-year-old Darcey Freeman was thrown to her death from the bridge by her father in January 2009, the barriers now enclose most of the bridge. “The rate of suicide on the rail network has more than doubled over the last two years and that has an horrendous impact,” Mr Barnett said.“We understand the West Gate Bridge was a significant place for suicide although it wasn’t publicised.” Victorian government figures show there were four suicides on the V/Line network in January alone. Victoria Police and VicRoads do not record suicide figures but a 2011 report from the Victorian Coroner’s Office found an 85 per cent reduction on the West Gate Bridge in the two years following the installation of the safety barriers. The report from Coroner Paresa Spanos said five deaths occurred on the bridge between May 2009 and February 2011, compared to 37 during the two years prior. It said there was no evidence that suicide attempts had shifted to another single location. Public Transport Users Association spokesperson Paul Westcott said train drivers suffered the emotional impact of deaths on the network.“It can be extremely difficult for drivers who are often the first witness and first responder to these sad incidents,” he said. “We have known for a long time that suicides can have a long marked impact on drivers and passengers who happen to be on services.” Flinders University researcher Dr Keith Miller said many issues caused people to take their own lives, including social isolation and physical and health problems. He said people choose whatever method is most readily available to them. “Suicide prevention programs introduced in Australia since the late 1990s have brought down the number of suicides to around 2000 per year,” Dr Miller said. A spokeswoman for Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge said the government would continue to seek to improve early intervention, diagnosis and treatment for people with a mental illness. If you or someone close to you requires assistance contact Lifeline on 131 144.