Johan Fredin
About me
I have a background as a clinical psychologist working with children and adolescents. I'm also trained and have worked with railway and metro technology as a train driver, train traffic controller, and technician. Since 2016, in parallel with my work as a clinical psychologist, I have been working as a consultant for the Swedish rail network to prevent suicides and trespassing primarily.
I am currently employed at the Center for Health Economics, Informatics, and Healthcare Research (CHIS) at Region Stockholm and belong to the National Center for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP) where my job consists of providing expert advise on minimizing suicides in the transport system. The role of being an expert also includes providing support to various regional and national infrastructure projects, as well as conducting research and innovation in the field.
I am entrusted as the project manager in a multi-year research project commissioned by the Swedish Transport Administration with the intention of
better understanding the occurrence and cause of suicidal acts at bridges, railways, and road traffic.
I am particularly interested in scalable suicide prevention measures for the transport system.
*Selection of publications*
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Andersson A-L, Hadlaczky G, Sokolwski M. Suicid vid
broar i Sverige: Nationellt centrum för Suicidforskning och Prevention,
Region Stockholm och Karolinska Institutet; 2023.
* *Fredin-Knutzén J.* Kartläggning av suicidhandlingar i SL:s spårbundna
trafik: Nationellt centrum för Suicidforskning och Prevention,
Region Stockholm och Karolinska Institutet; 2022.
* Andersson A-L, Risenfeld M, *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Hadlaczky G, Sokolwski
M.Skadehändelser från broar i Sverige år 2008-2020 samt metod för
framtagande av underlag; 2022. Trafikverket
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Lundberg P, Hallin F, Wendesten A, Lantz M.
Kombinationslösning av personsäkerhet- och viltnätstängsel; 2021.
Afry/Trafikverket
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Wigren A. Staket i plattformsände vid Stockholms
södra – En åtgärd för att minska riskerna för obehöriga i spår;
2021. Tillsammans för Tåg i Tid (TTT) Effektområde Obehöriga i spår -
Järnvägsbranschens samverkansforum
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Andersson A-L, Hadlaczky G, Sokolwski M. Förstudie
Suicid i transportsystemet; 2020. Nationellt centrum för Suicidforskning
och Prevention, Region Stockholm och Karolinska Institutet.
* Wigren A, *Fredin-Knutzén J*, ”Obehöriga i Spår” ‒ Sambandet med
tätorter. Analys och ågärdsförslag för att minska riskerna för
personpåkörningar och förseningar på grund av “Obehöriga i
Spår.”; 2019. Tillsammans för Tåg i Tid (TTT) Effektområde
Obehöriga i spår - Järnvägsbranschens samverkansforum
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Salminen, R., Eliasson, J., Sundberg, B., Tillström,
T., Walldan, D., Dempe, L., Forsberg, C., Kjellman, M., & Olsson, B.-M.
”Obehöriga i spår” i Göteborg—Branschgemensam utredning av två
belastade sträckor i Region Väst; 2019. Tillsammans för Tåg i Tid
(TTT) Effektområde Obehöriga i spår - Järnvägsbranschens
samverkansforum
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Wigren A. Motiv bakom merförseningar registrerade
som OMÄ02 “Obehöriga i Spåret.”; 2019. Tillsammans för Tåg i Tid
(TTT) Effektområde Obehöriga i spår - Järnvägsbranschens
samverkansforum
* *Fredin-Knutzén J.*, Källbom, J., Tugén, O., Landin, H., Torin, A.,
Ståhl, J., Bonnevier, M., Kjellman, M., Tylenius, F., & Olsson, B.-M.
”Obehöriga i spår” Norrköping -Linköping—Branschgemensam
utredning av en belastad sträcka i Region Öst; 2019. Tillsammans för
Tåg i Tid (TTT) Effektområde Obehöriga i spår - Järnvägsbranschens
samverkansforum
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Wigren A. ”Obehöriga i spår”-belastade platser.
Underlag för prioritering av åtgärder; 2018. Tillsammans för Tåg i
Tid (TTT) Effektområde Obehöriga i spår - Järnvägsbranschens
samverkansforum
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Grundberg, A., Sjölund, J., Stenholm, E., Berg, L.,
Hallberg, P., Törnkvist, J., Tylenius, F., Eriksson, Ö., Wigren, A.,
Rådbo, H., Andersson, A.-L., Handspik, Y., Welander, A.-S., Jenelius, M.,
Kjellman, M., Lokrantz-Bernitz, D., & Olsson, B.-M. Obehöriga i spår vid
Årstaberg , Upplands Väsby och Järna—Analys och åtgärdsförslag
för tre belastade platser i Region Stockholm; 2018. Tillsammans för Tåg
i Tid (TTT) Effektområde Obehöriga i spår - Järnvägsbranschens
samverkansforum
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*, Mustelin C-H, Forsell M, Monteiro Duarte C, Levin A,
Duintjer A. Repetitionsutbildning I omhändertagande för Trafikledare
inom Tunnelbanan; 2017. MTR Tunnelbanan
*Selection of presentations on International meetings*
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*. (2022-11-11). Implementation of Camera Surveyance for
Suicide Prevention in the Stockholm Metro System [presentation].
Tresp-meeting, Danish Research Institute of Suicide Prevention, Online.
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*. (2022-09-30). Preliminary results from a pilot study
evaluating lengthwise fences at exiting platform ends [presentation].
Tresp-meeting, International Union of Railways (UIC), London, UK.
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*. (2022-08-25). Mid-track fencing prevents suicides at
a railway station – a pilot study [presentation]. ESSSB 19, Copenhagen,
Denmark.
* *Fredin-Knutzén J*. (2022-07-01). Mid-track fencing prevents suicides at
a railway station – a pilot study [presentation]. Tresp-meeting,
International Union of Railways (UIC), Online.
Articles
- Article: JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH. 2024;88:78-84Fredin-Knutzen J; Hadlaczky G; Wigren A; Sokolowski M
- Article: JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE. 2023;65(9):775-782Fredin-Knutzen J; Olsson N; Rosberg T; Thorslund B; Lidestam B
- Article: JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH. 2022;83:232-237Fredin-Knutzen J; Hadlaczky G; Andersson A-L; Sokolowski M
Grants
- Effect evaluations of suicide and train-person collision preventive measures in rail-bound transportSwedish Transport Administration1 April 2026 - 31 March 2030Suicide is the dominant cause of railway-related deaths in Sweden, accounting for about 90% of the cases. The remaining incidents are classified as accidents, with unknown but non-suicidal intent. Suicidal behavior also underlies a large share of the delays reported as “trespassing on tracks.” The government has set an interim target to halve the number of fatalities on the railway by 2030, and suicide prevention is a critical part of this effort. Sweden also has a new national strategy for mental health and suicide prevention, where restricting access to lethal means – such as the railway – is highlighted as a priority area. The strategy emphasizes the importance of collaboration between multiple societal actors, with the Swedish Transport Administration being one of the agencies assigned a specific mandate. International experience shows that physical measures can reduce the number of suicides. In the Netherlands, ProRail has reduced suicide numbers by about 30%. Swedish pilot studies conducted by the researchers behind this proposal have shown that barrier fences and end-of-platform fences at stations in Stockholm have not only reduced suicides but also decreased track trespassing, delays, and train-person collisions. Together, the results indicate that suicide preventive measures both save lives and strengthen the robustness of the railway. The overarching aim of the project is to generate new knowledge about measures that can effectively reduce the number of suicides in the Swedish railway system and other rail-bound transport. The project directly contributes to the transport policy objectives: the safety objective, that no one should be killed or seriously injured in traffic, and the functionality objective, an efficient and punctual railway service. It also relates to Vision Zero, where railway suicides represent a central challenge. By preventing suicides and other train-person collisions, the project contributes to social sustainability and improved public health, while at the same time creating a more robust and reliable railway. The project intends to strengthen the scientific foundation for suicide prevention and provide knowledge that enables the Swedish Transport Administration and other actors to prioritize measures in a resource-efficient way.
