GWR welfare marshalls

[Jamiescott1]

The past few months at maidenhead station i've noticed people wearing high visibility jackets with "welfare Marshall" written on the back.

They only ever seem to be on platform 5 (which is used once an hour (once per 30 mins in offpeak).

What are they actually there for and do they exist at other gwr stations ?

 

[Flying Snail]

Presumably there to try to prevent the locals from jumping in front of trains. That area has been a hot spot for suicides for a long time.

 

[contrex]

Marshall or Marshal?

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

It's sad, but it really is as simple as suicide prevention. They're unlikely to regularly interact with passengers or even do anything particularly overtly useful, but the research suggests that their mere presence alone is a significant factor in reducing fatalities of this type, but obviously if someone is determined, at least they can coordinate the initial response immediately afterwards.

The money these staff cost, who are generally low paid agency workers (see also South of Milton Keynes on the West Coast) is absolutely trivial compared to the cost of suicides - so Network Rail largely provide the funding for them.

Some TOCs now fund other types of welfare staff, again you'd never really know they existed, who look out for vulnerable people, dodgy staff, design strategies around identifying them on trains/stations, and take on a more general safeguarding role. Things like girls being moved around by questionable groups etc, young county lines drug mules etc. More like intelligence gatherers.

 

[fkofilee]

We have them on GTR routes too, Most commonly seen at East Croydon Etc

 

[greaterwest]

Also seen on the SWR network, where they're called Welfare Officers.

 

[Purple Train]

There are two regular ones at Slough, who usually seem to hang around on platform 5, although I'm sure I've seen them on platform 4. They wear blue high-visibility vests and I was sure they said "Welfare Officer" on them, but it's probably "Welfare Marshal" if that's the case at Maidenhead. Thankfully, the newish fast line gates have had a very positive impact, such that I don't recall any incidents here recently.

 

[VItraveller]

Given that they do interact with passengers, albeit in a limited fashion. It does make me wonder whether the office of rail and Road would need them to be ramp trained as well.

 

[Horizon22]

Slough and Maidenhead has a mix of fast and stopping services at certain times of day so makes sense.

Slough is better these days with the new fence layouts on Platform 2 and the fact that pretty much nothing stops there now anyway.

 

[TheBigD]

A decade or so ago (mid 2010s) Slough (and other stations along the PAD-RDG route) were a hot spot for fatalities. From memory there were local issues within some south east asian communities that led to a lot of the incidents at Slough and nearby. I know the NR worked with a number of local groups (and achieve some pretty decent results) to address the issue and I think the local marshals were one of the things to come out of it. No idea what the current situation is.

 

[Horizon22]

A decade or so ago (mid 2010s) Slough (and other stations along the PAD-RDG route) were a hot spot for fatalities. From memory there were local issues within some south east asian communities that led to a lot of the incidents at Slough and nearby. I know the NR worked with a number of local groups (and achieve some pretty decent results) to address the issue and I think the local marshals were one of the things to come out of it. No idea what the current situation is.

Many of the stations with main line platforms but no services are now managed by the Elizabeth line of course. And all have gated access to the main line platforms.

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

Given that they do interact with passengers, albeit in a limited fashion. It does make me wonder whether the office of rail and Road would need them to be ramp trained as well.

The ORR does not require anyone to be specifically ramp trained, and has extremely little say about any training in the industry.

Train operators complete their own risk assessments and negotiate their own union terms and conditions, and ultimately decide who, if anyone, needs specific training for their role, and if so, how it is delivered.

 

[Russel]

Some TOCs now fund other types of welfare staff, again you'd never really know they existed, who look out for vulnerable people, dodgy staff, design strategies around identifying them on trains/stations, and take on a more general safeguarding role. Things like girls being moved around by questionable groups etc, young county lines drug mules etc. More like intelligence gatherers.

Bit in bold, what sort of "dodgy" are we talking about?

 

[Horizon22]

Bit in bold, what sort of "dodgy" are we talking about?

Perhaps it was a typo for stuff?

 

[Russel]

Perhaps it was a typo for stuff?

Ah yeah, probably.

 

[sir_gummerz]

Given that they do interact with passengers, albeit in a limited fashion. It does make me wonder whether the office of rail and Road would need them to be ramp trained as well.

Most railway staff are not ramp trained as is, so I dont really see why a agency worker would need to be, or why the ORR would be involved.

Gateline, ticket office (at stations where they are not the only memeber of staff) drivers, event management temp staff amd security guards are very rarely ramp trained. To use a ramp requires them to be issued with steel cap shoes, which they are not at most tocs.

 

[VItraveller]

Most railway staff are not ramp trained as is, so I dont really see why a agency worker would need to be, or why the ORR would be involved.

Gateline, ticket office (at stations where they are not the only memeber of staff) drivers, event management temp staff amd security guards are very rarely ramp trained. To use a ramp requires them to be issued with steel cap shoes, which they are not at most tocs.

Doug Paulley received an email from the office of Ral and Road explaining their position

All Station Staff must be trained to deploy ramps – ORR

ORR correspondence confirms that gateline staff must be ramp trained.

www.kingqueen.org.uk

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2025 ==

The ORR does not require anyone to be specifically ramp trained, and has extremely little say about any training in the industry.

Train operators complete their own risk assessments and negotiate their own union terms and conditions, and ultimately decide who, if anyone, needs specific training for their role, and if so, how it is delivered.

But the Orr mandate that train operating companies have an accessible travel policy which complies with their guidance in order to maintain their license.
Section B6.1 of the Guidance includes:

Operators must make the following commitments in their Accessible Travel Policy in relation to staff training, setting out a plan for how these commitments will be delivered: …
b. all frontline staff that interact directly with passengers at any time as part of their duties must, as part of their induction, receive training that delivers mandatory training outcomes 7, 8 and 9 as set out in Appendix D. …
f. where reasonably practicable, agency staff and staff contracted on a temporary basis that interact directly with passengers at any time must receive a condensed version of the disability awareness training or disability equality training, to deliver as a minimum mandatory training outcomes 6 (Passenger Assist), 7 (Communication) and 9 (Providing safe assistance) as set out in Appendix D.

(original emphasis)

Appendix D states:

9. Providing safe assistance
Staff are made aware that it is their duty to ensure that both staff and passengers remain safe at all times. They are able to:
a) Identify and deploy the correct ramp safely for boarding and alighting
b) Transport a passenger safely, correctly and comfortably in the station wheelchair
c) Correctly guide a blind or visually impaired person

 

[Jamiescott1]

Presumably there to try to prevent the locals from jumping in front of trains. That area has been a hot spot for suicides for a long time.

The Marshalls are based on the platforms with stopping trains (the occasional non stopping freight train goes through platform 4).
Surely if to prevent suicide they should be either based on or looking at the platforms which non stop 125mph trains pass through

 

[Dr Hoo]

The Marshalls are based on the platforms with stopping trains (the occasional non stopping freight train goes through platform 4).
Surely if to prevent suicide they should be either based on or looking at the platforms which non stop 125mph trains pass through

Sadly plenty of distressed individuals will end up in front of a stopping train. Even the Underground, where basically every train calls at every station, sees this happen. Obviously if a platform is fenced off there is less need for it to be under constant oversight.

 

[Horizon22]

The Marshalls are based on the platforms with stopping trains (the occasional non stopping freight train goes through platform 4).
Surely if to prevent suicide they should be either based on or looking at the platforms which non stop 125mph trains pass through

There have sadly been plenty of fatalities or people suffering life-changing injuries with stopping trains too.

Sadly plenty of distressed individuals will end up in front of a stopping train. Even the Underground, where basically every train calls at every station, sees this happen. Obviously if a platform is fenced off there is less need for it to be under constant oversight.

Exactly.