Rail was the first sector in Australia to have its own dedicated R U OK? Day, a national day of action that encourages people in the industry to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times.
Since the first Rail R U OK? in 2015, participation has grown to over 120,000 people annually.
Rail staff from across Australia and New Zealand have come on board and are helping to transform workplaces into strong and resilient communities.
This year’s industry day of action will take place on Thursday 3 April, 2025, but Rail R U OK? is more than just a day, it’s a movement that aims to empower rail workers to identify the signs that someone might be struggling and lend a listening ear.
In 2014, suicide prevention charity R U OK? partnered with the TrackSAFE Foundation, a charity that aims to prevent suicides and reduce accidents and injuries on the rail network, as well as improve the wellbeing of rail employees.
Together, R U OK? and TrackSAFE promote meaningful connection across the rail industry.
TrackSAFE’s Executive Director Heather Neil said Rail R U OK? has evolved over the past decade from a national day of industry-wide action into a year-round movement based on compassion and understanding among rail colleagues.
“Rail R U OK? is breaking down stigma and encouraging authentic and open conversations,” Neil said.
“As we join together on 3 April to connect, share experiences of when support has helped during tough times, and further build our conversation confidence, we want to reiterate the value of making space to really listen.
“Remember, an R U OK? conversation can happen any day. And it can save a life.”
Troy Taylor, Change Manager for Bulk Rollingstock at Aurizon
For Troy Taylor, Change Manager for Bulk Rollingstock at Aurizon in Forrestfield, Western Australia, Rail R U OK? Day is an important reminder to check in on friends and colleagues.
“About three years ago, I lost a friend to suicide,” he said. “We worked together for a while and then we went our separate ways, and we only caught up now and again. But he always seemed happy, he always had something on the go and something to be proud of. I hadn’t had an opportunity to catch up with him for a while – and next thing I heard was that he had passed on.”
Taylor also had an upsetting experience recently as he was riding his bike along the rail line.
“I saw a lady on the wrong side of the fence, so I pulled my bike up and ran over. She was in her nightwear and had a little dog under her arm.
“I held her until someone else stopped and helped, and we kept her occupied while I called the ambulance and the police. That was scary.”
Taylor said R U OK? is spreading the critical message that social connections can make all the difference when it comes to mental health.
“I think R U OK? is about the importance of keeping in touch with people and having the ability to notice and understand if they aren’t quite themselves,” he said.
“It’s about checking in and asking friends and colleagues if they are OK, and making sure you are one of their useful connections.”
He has made a concerted effort to touch base with people if he sees they are going through a tough time.
“I make sure to check in with my colleagues and let them know that if they need to talk or just vent, they can always come and find me,” he said.
In support of Rail R U OK? this year, Taylor, his colleague Tony Dimovski and friend Neville Smith have organised a 300 kilometre bike ride from Bunbury to Perth.
“The three of us are calling ourselves ‘Wheels of Wellbeing’,” he said.
“We cycle around Perth quite regularly and we wanted to do something good with our hobby.
“So, we decided to do this cycle from Bunbury to Perth, which will probably be about 14 hours in the saddle.”
Taylor and his friends have previously done a 200 kilometre cycle in aid of Rail R U OK?, but this year they’re going bigger and better – and at the time of Rail Express going to print, they had raised $3300 in donations and sponsorship.
“We designed a jersey and are selling space on the jersey for donations,” he said.
“We have gained support and sponsorship from a number of our suppliers plus local health industry organisations.”
Taylor said it’s not just about the fundraising and awareness, though.
“We’ve managed to sign up nine riders and a support person, and it’s a group of guys who haven’t all met each other before,” he said. “We wanted to go by the ethos of R U OK?, by making new connections and sharing an experience together. I’m hoping that by the end of this, we’ll be a group of mates.”
Liam Bruce, Emergency Response Management and Recovery Lead at Queensland Rail
As someone who has worked in high-pressure emergency response roles throughout his career, Liam Bruce is passionate about the ethos behind Rail R U OK?
Bruce has been employed by Queensland Rail for 11 years and is currently on secondment within the Major Projects area.
“I’m looking at all the emergency response and recovery operations for Cross River Rail, and then my substantive position is with the Rail Operations response unit for surface level,” he said.
“I’ve always worked in challenging environments, worked with critical incidents, worked with systems and processes that don’t really fit the general day-to-day operation, because it’s all pretty much failed.
“R U OK is important to me because working at that level has, or could potentially have, an impact on not only me, but my colleagues and the people I care about in the workplace.”
The Brisbane native said engaging in genuine conversations with colleagues and asking how they are doing can really make a positive impact on their mental health.
“It’s not about leaving these conversations to one day a year, but having them any day.
“It’s about building a baseline with people and having an understanding of them outside work. Asking what are their interests? What is their family up to? What are they watching on Netflix?
“If you get to know them, you’re more likely to be able to spot when something may not be right.”
Bruce said building a connection makes it easier to be open about how you’re feeling.
“Men, in particular, don’t always like to talk about their emotions,” he said.
“It helps to build up trust so you can have those more challenging conversations.
“You don’t have to be an expert either – you’re just being a resource for someone, so they feel like they’re being listened to. That’s essential to being able to manage workplace stresses and catching something before it eventuates or turns into a consequence.”
Working to resolve conditions affecting the network and other rail-based emergencies, Bruce often has to operate at a high-intensity level for a long period of time.
“You’re working at capacity, at times physically and then mentally as well, you’re problem solving, dealing with people, prioritising, trying to process what you’ve seen, potentially dealing with emergency services, and recording information,” he said. “It does take a toll.”
Bruce said he’s lucky to have a long-term work partner, Shane, with whom he can debrief after an incident.
“I get along really well with Shane, and we can talk about things openly.
“We ask each other – what did we do, what can we do better next time?
“It helps both of us to process what happened and decompress.”
He thinks the rail industry has come a long way when it comes to physical safety, and it’s heading in the right direction with mental health too.
“For such a long time, we’ve been so focused on physical injuries, with great initiatives like ‘Work safe, home safe’ and ‘No-one gets hurt’,” he said.
“Now we have an opportunity to shift the conversation to normalise mental health just as much as the safety elements that we can physically touch and see and feel.”
He is grateful to Queensland Rail, who appointed its first Chief Mental Health Officer (Teegan Modderman) in February 2023.
“I think we’re one of the only organisations that has a Chief Mental Health Officer,” he said. “Throughout my career, I’ve done thousands of risk assessments – but we’ve never done a mental health risk assessment.
“Teegan and the Healthy Minds crew have been providing support for mental health to be introduced to risk assessments and helping us look at how we operationalise that. Queensland Rail is an industry leader in this space, and I’d really like to thank them for everything they are doing.”
As Emergency Response Management and Recovery Lead, Bruce hopes to be the kind of leader his team can depend on.
“I read a quote from [motivational speaker] Simon Sinek that said leadership is not about being in charge, it’s about taking care of those in your charge.
“There are so many ways we can do that, from noticing where someone might need extra support at work to catching up with them after a big day at work.
“A conversation with someone today could change their tomorrow.”
Queensland Rail plans to partially cover two of its trains in R U OK? branding to coincide with Rail R U OK Day? on 3 April, to ensure this important message is seen by a wide audience.
Queensland Rail will also host a range of networking events across the organisation to enable opportunities for these important conversations.
For more information
Visit tracksafe.org.au for free resources to help you have an R U OK? conversation and plan your Rail R U OK? activities.
If you or someone you know needs some extra support, you can find contact information for national support and services at:
ruok.org.au/findhelp
For support at any time of day or night, Lifeline Australia provides free and confidential crisis support.
Call 13 11 14, text 0477 13 11 14 or chat online at: lifeline.org.au
13YARN is a free 24/7 service offering crisis support for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people.
Call 13YARN (13 92 76).
MensLine Australia is a free 24/7 service offering support for Australian men. Call 1300 78 99 78 or chat online at: mensline.org.au
