Iarnród Éireann says there have been 29 fatalities on the railways - attributed to self harm - over the past four years.

It comes as a new suicide prevention initiative - involving the Samaritans and Iarnród Éireann - is being rolled out.

It will see signs put in place on every station platform in the country - with contact details for the Samaritans - to encourage people to seek help if they need someone to talk to.

Research carried out in the UK has shown that signage can help play an important role in suicide prevention.

Jane Cregan, company spokesperson with Iarnród Éireann, outlines the importance of the initiative:

Speaking at the launch of the initiative, former train driver and current Iarnród Éireann inspector Joe Buchanan said, "having an act of suicide take place in front of your train can have a life altering impact not just on drivers, but on their families too, as well as those of the person who sadly dies. I am here today to appeal to anyone struggling to cope to seek help to try and work through whatever is troubling them.”