A CAMPAIGN has been launched to save Stourbridge Junction’s under threat ticket office – home of George the station cat.

The office, located off Brook Road, is among those across the country earmarked for the chop under plans to modernise the way tickets are sold at railway stations.

Train operators nationwide say the proposed ticket office closures are a response to changing customer habits and they propose to bring “employees out from behind ticket office windows to be closer to customers”.

West Midlands Railway has said mobile teams would move between stations and be deployed to offer extra help where needed and that ticket vending machines will be upgraded so customers can still buy the most popular tickets at stations.

Many staff would also have hand-held devices and new customer ‘help’ points would be introduced at stations.

Commuters and railway enthusiasts, however, are not happy about the proposals – especially fans of Stourbridge Junction’s famous George the cat who brings cheer to visitors to the ticket office where he spends most of his time.

A Save Stourbridge Junction Ticket Office page has been set up on Facebook to help save chief mouse catcher George and his human co-workers and a meeting to discuss ideas is set to take place at the nearby Severn Stars pub opposite the station tonight (Wednesday) at 6pm.

The campaign to save George, who has amassed more than 61k followers on his Twitter page, has already attracted national attention on news sites and social media.

Local fans of the much-loved moggy, however, are urged to get involved and do their bit to help by writing to train bosses to call for a U-turn on the proposal to close Stourbridge Junction’s nationally renowned ticket office.

People are asked to email TicketOffice.WMT@transportfocus.org.uk to have a say on the official West Midlands Railway consultation that’s currently underway as well as signing a petition online at https://petition.parliament.uk/