Elizabeth Line: Rail worker honoured for saving 29 lives

Image source, PA Media

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Rizwan Javed has received 29 suicide intervention commendations and other awards in recognition of this work

By Thomas Mackintosh

BBC News

A rail worker who has saved 29 people from taking their own lives since 2015 has been honoured with an MBE.

Rizwan Javed from east London works for the MTR Elizabeth Line at Ealing Broadway station.

He has helped to save each life by being alert and approaching vulnerable individuals in difficult situations.

The 33-year-old says he also runs Instagram and TikTok accounts to share his experiences aimed at inspiring others.

Mr Javed said he attended the Samaritans training course nearly a decade ago when he joined the railway.

“They basically teach you key skills of how to identify vulnerable people, what sort of conversations to have with them and how to take them to a point of safety,” he said.

He said two days after that training he had to put it into action while working at a station and helped stop someone from taking their own life.

In 2019 Mr Javed won the Samaritans Lifesaver Award which recognises people who have used their talking and listening skills to save lives.

Mr Javed, who previously worked for Great Western Railway (GWR) said the interventions have had an “emotional impact on him” as the people he helps are of all ages.

“Coming from an Asian background, they’re not really educated about mental health,” Mr Javed added.

“If you’re going through mental health issues your mother [will] probably give you a paracetamol and say you’ll be OK in the morning.

“So a lot of stuff like that, breaking that barrier and getting people to talk about mental health, whether it’s at work or at home, has been a coping mechanism for myself.”

Mr Javed said he received his letter telling him he was being appointed MBE through the post when he was asleep and his mother insisted he opened it – but in the end she did.

“She was more excited for me than I was to be fair because I was half asleep,” he added.

“But when she told me I had to read it about 10 times to digest it, it was amazing.

“So I feel like this MBE award has given me the confidence to take it a step further on a wider scale.”

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found via BBC Action Line.

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