He gave up his seat on a late train — and proposed on the same train a year later

In November 2024, 56-year-old Steve Higgs was on the 23:09 London Northwestern Railway service from Euston towards Milton Keynes when he offered his seat to 49-year-old Payal Pandya. They chatted for about twenty minutes; she mentioned she was coming back from an unsuccessful first date.

After she got off at Harrow, Steve found her dating profile and messaged her, which led to a much better first date.

Exactly a year later they boarded the same 23:09 service. Steve had briefed the conductor, whose special announcement was his cue to kneel. They plan to marry in the summer.

Sometimes 'meeting in real life' and 'meeting online' are the same story.