St Albans station cat is reunited with owner after three years

Brian, a cat believed to be a stray who lived at St Albans station and was fed and looked after by the station staff, was reunited with his owner after three years following the discovery of his microchip on a trip to the vet.

St Albans Team Leader Tasha Hodges explains: “Brian as we called him slept either on the station seat or in his box.

“We would go out and get cat food and biscuits for him weekly and with kind donations from our passengers as well, he never went hungry. Brian (called Obama by his owner) would follow us around the station and never went on the track or boarded a train nor was he frightened by trains. Our two security guards we have on Friday and Saturday night loved him as well.

Brian was taken to the vets for fleas and the microchip was discovered. He had been missing for three years following a trip to St Albans with his owner, a woman from London.

Tasha added: “We all hope Brian/Obama is settling in nicely back at home.”

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Notes to editors

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Southern and Gatwick Express press office: 0203 750 2030

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Govia Thameslink Railway

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:

Thameslink – Bedford to Brighton, Sutton, Wimbledon and Sevenoaks

Great Northern – London to Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn

Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)

Gatwick Express – Fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria

GTR is now the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff: GTR carries about 273 million passenger journeys per year, employs around 6,500 people and generates annual passenger revenues of approximately £1.3bn.

Details of the franchise:

22% of all UK passengers

6,500 employees

£1.3bn annual revenue

£237m passenger journeys

£50m investment to enhance all 239 stations

50% increase in capacity

1,398 new train carriages

10,000 additional morning peak seats into London

Free Wi-Fi at 104 stations

20,000 days of customer service training for frontline employees

£1m per year for local communities to spend on improvements at stations

The GTR investment programme for stations includes funding for more CCTV, toilet refurbishments, new retail facilities, help points and car park improvements – as well as plans for increased motorcycle storage and improved transport integration.

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