A person jumped onto the rails this morning at the Üsküdar station of İstanbul's Marmaray commuter rail line, marking the third such incident over the past 10 days.
The incident occurred at around 10.30 am local time and disrupted services for about an hour, according to Marmaray's statements on social media.
Similar incidents occurred at Sirkeci station on Oct 5 and Erenköy station on Oct 9.
The incidents come amid an increase in reported suicides on İstanbul's rail networks in recent years.
Based on announcements by Marmaray and Metro İstanbul, the city's two main rail operators, at least 27 suicide attempts have occurred across their networks since Oct 2025.
The actual number of deaths in these incidents remains unclear. The operators' announcements generally focus on service disruptions caused by the incidents, without specifying further detailes such as whether the individuals survived.
Media reports have documented at least one nonfatal case. On Jul 26, a person who jumped onto the tracks at Gayrettepe metro station was persuaded to leave the tracks following intervention by bystanders and security personnel.
Also, on Jul 10, a person who jumped in front of a train at Marmaray's Söğütlüçeşme station was taken to a hospital with injuries but later died.
Most of İstanbul's rail network lacks platform screen doors or other physical barriers separating passengers from the tracks.
Only some recently constructed metro lines have glass safety barriers equipped with automatic doors that open only after trains have stopped at the platform.
Lack of official information
The Transport and Infrastructure Ministry, which operates Marmaray, and the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, which operates most of the city's rail systems, have not published statistics on suicide incidents across their networks.
On Aug 10, Yüksel Mansur Kılınç, an MP from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), submitted a parliamentary question to Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu concerning suicide incidents on Marmaray.
Kılınç requested statistics on fatalities and information about preventive measures taken by the ministry.
According to the Turkish parliament's website, the question remains unanswered.
Uraloğlu previously responded to a similar parliamentary question submitted in April by CHP deputy Fethi Açıkel, who also requested detailed statistics on suicide incidents.
In a two-paragraph response dated Aug 20, the minister provided no figures on suicides or deaths.
Instead, he stated that stations were monitored through closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems and that security personnel received training.
Suicide deaths in Turkey
According to the latest data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) in 2025, the number of suicide deaths in the country rose to 4,460 in 2024, which marked a 20 percent increase in four years.
The crude suicide rate, which measures the number of suicide deaths per 100,000 people annually, also increased from 4.79 in 2023 to 5.22 in 2024.
Official figures show a generally upward trend in suicide deaths in recent years. The number stood at 3,710 in 2020, with a crude suicide rate of 4.45. It rose to 4,194 in 2021 and 4,218 in 2022, with corresponding rates of 4.98 and 4.96.
In 2023, the number declined slightly to 4,089, before rising again in 2024. (VK)
