UK Train Company Congratulates Its Youngest Ever Passenger… As Baby Phoebe Is Born On Board

Southeastern Railway has congratulated its youngest-ever passenger on its website today.

The child, Baby Phoebe, was born on board an evening train yesterday.

Allan Stanley, 21, was travelling back to his mother’s home with her and his partner Sonia Banks, 22, when Sonia's contractions started.

Moments later, the website reportes, Miss Banks gave birth to a “perfectly healthy” 6lb 13oz baby called Phoebe.

A midwife, a nurse and a police officer, who were all off-duty, were all on board the Southeastern service to help with the birth.

The father said today: “It feels like I’m on cloud nine.”

Mr Stanley, from Kent, said: “I felt like, ’Oh my God’. It feels like I’m on cloud nine. It’s mad. I was present at the birth and witnessed everything.

“Everything’s fine, they are just waiting for the doctor to do some tests and hopefully mother and baby will be released later.”

Mr Stanley's mother, Mari-anne Stanley, said the birth, which came a week early, was greeted with cheers from other passengers, The Irish Examiner reports.

Explaining how it began, she said: “The train was stopped at West Malling to let passengers off and I ran off to the driver telling him we needed to not go any further and call an ambulance because she was giving birth.”

Passengers cheered for the family as they left the train for the ambulance. 

Ms Stanley added: “Mum and child are doing very well. They are expected to be released from hospital today. We would like to thank everybody involved yesterday.

“We’d also like to apologise to all the passengers who were delayed but the circumstances were such that we simply could not go any further.

“When we were taken off to go to the ambulance there were people on the platform who gave us a rapturous round of applause and cheered. Passengers were lining the platform. It was a fantastic reception.

“The guard called the ambulance and was extremely helpful, and there was an off-duty nurse, off-duty midwife and an off-duty police officer on board the train, thank God.”

Miss Banks went into labour five minutes into the journey. Train driver Rob Friend put a call out over the loudspeaker system for medical staff to come forward.

The baby was born within 30 minutes at around 7.40pm and the train was delayed by around 37 minutes, Southeastern said.

Train conductor Colin Brooker said: “We had everyone we needed right there on the train.

“We were only missing a vicar to baptise the baby.

“I kept all the passengers on board informed about the delay and there was a big cheer when we announced the baby was born.”

Father-of-four Mr Brooker added: “In all my 41 years working on the railway I’ve never experienced anything like this.

“It was amazing.

“I’ll be having some celebration drinks tomorrow to wet the baby’s head.”

The train company has sent Miss Banks flowers to congratulate her.