A rat was caught on camera darting around Birmingham New Street station, surprising passengers waiting for trains just after midnight on Saturday, November 29. The rodent was spotted near the Starbucks coffee shop close to platform three, a usually busy area now quiet at that late hour.
Johnjeet Singh, a 25-year-old from Walsall, captured the two-minute video while waiting to catch a train to Birmingham International. “We grew up in Birmingham, and you see this kind of thing regularly – it’s mad,” he told BirminghamLive.
In the footage, the rat can be seen running across the station concourse before disappearing into a hole near some handrails by the wall. At the time, Starbucks was closed, and the station was largely empty due to the early hour. Johnjeet noted that a cleaner was nearby, sweeping the area on a ride-on machine, seemingly unaware of the rodent’s presence.
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Speaking about the moment, Johnjeet said, “I was about to eat some food I got from Tim Hortons when I noticed something scurrying by. It was coming from the Starbucks area. You can see where it darted off in the video.”
Network Rail, which manages Birmingham New Street, acknowledged the challenge of pests in a busy city station environment. A spokesperson said, “Like many inner-city buildings, the station is exposed to the elements and faces ongoing pest management challenges. We carry out regular proactive pest control throughout the year, supplemented by immediate responses to any reported incidents.”
Starbucks has been approached for comment regarding the sighting.