In 2015, 21-year-old Esmee Phillips was traveling back from Oxford to Plymouth on a First Great Western train, when a female staff member made a shocking announcement to passengers about a suicide that had occurred when a man jumped in front a train between Slough and Redding. “Our delays are due to someone who couldn’t be bothered to live anymore. Because of this, there are severe delays. Some of you have missed your connecting flights for the bank holiday.” Phillips said she and other passengers cringed at the announcement, while others literally gasped. Phillips complained to First Great Western upon arriving home, explaining that the announcement was not only callous and insensitive, but shocking to people onboard the train. First Great Western apologized saying that the announcement wasn’t handled according to protocol and that they were conducting an investigation.
