Runaway dog mimics London commuters with solo train ride

Commuters know the drill. Brisk walk to the station; dash across the platform; hop on to the train; scurry down the aisle to find a suitable seat. Frankie the jack russell showed a middle-aged dog can learn new tricks by behaving like a regular on the 6.56am to London. The six-year-old family pet marked his birthday last week by setting out on an incredible rush-hour journey after sneaking out of his home in Gravesend, Kent, after his owner left for work. There was a 1.6-mile (2.6km) trek to the station and an all-too-brief free ride, before he was caught and put on a leash by train manager Richard Cheeseman as the high-speed Javelin service from Maidstone West to London St Pancras neared its destination. Thanks to a contact number on his collar, staff were able to phone owner Jane Abbott, 47, who had been frantically searching for her missing pet. She said: "I normally get greeted by Frankie when I get up, but not this morning. I looked all over the house and the garden but there was no sign of him … What we don't understand is why Frankie chose rail. He's never been on a train before." While Abbott and her 22-year-old daughter Stephanie had to fork out £59 for the trip to fetch their wandering companion, Frankie dodged the usual penalty fines for being caught without a ticket.