Cambridge station stalwart retires after 45 years serving passengers

A familiar face at Cambridge railway station is preparing to step away after more than four decades on the railway, as long-serving staff member Jeff Tan retires following a 45-year career.

Jeff’s connection with the station dates back to 1974, when he arrived in the UK from Malaysia as a student. While studying Economics, he took on part-time work in the station’s Travellers Fare buffet, marking the start of a lifelong association with the railway.

After completing his studies, he returned in 1980 to begin a full-time role in the ticket office. At the time, the job looked very different to today, with printed timetable books and a dedicated European ticket counter. While local journeys could be issued quickly, longer-distance tickets often had to be written out by hand due to the limitations of the systems then in place.

His career evolved over the years, with a move in the mid-1990s to the telephone enquiry bureau, where he handled calls covering a wide area of the East of England. He later joined the Customer Relations team when it relocated from London to Cambridge, before eventually returning to the station ticket office in more recent years.

Back on the front line, Jeff has continued to assist passengers with ticket purchases, machine queries and general travel advice, as well as helping to keep customers informed during disruption.

His final shift at the station is set for 23 April, with his official retirement following on 6 May. Outside of work, he plans to spend more time on hobbies including geocaching, kite flying and motorcycling, having already travelled to more than 40 countries.

Jeff Tan, who works in Customer Service at Cambridge station, said:

“I’ve always liked dealing with people. It was the same back in 1980 when I started, and it still is now in 2026. It was always about how I could help them. If you’re nice to people they, in turn, will be nice to you. Over the years, you deal with all sorts of queries, but two that stand out are that I once had a woman who worked for British Airways offering me a discount for being helpful and another person asking me if I could locate a man they fancied on the train for them. 45 years is a very long time, and I’ve seen lots of changes, including computerisation and a new-look station, but my colleagues and the customers have made me stay and, equally, made my day. In a way, I’m looking forward to retirement, but of course I’ve never done it before, so I’m still a bit unsure. I’m going to miss lots of things and people, and I can’t promise there won’t be a few tears here and there.”

Rebecca Cubitt, Assistant Group Station Manager for the Cambridge area, said:

“Jeff has been nothing but a positive presence for the last 45 years on the railway network, helping customers as best he can, no matter their need at Cambridge station across a variety of roles. It will be a sad day when his final shift comes to an end, and he will be sorely missed around the ticket office and across the station. We wish him all the very best in his well-earned retirement.”

Image: Greater Anglia