Left Bag on Train that’s still in service

[parkender102]

Two years ago my wife and I were heading to London before flying from Heathrow to Canada and Alaska for a Month including a 2 week cruise (my daughter was working on a cruise ship in Alaska).

I only ever take hand baggage when travelling, so had a 25 litre rucksack which I placed in the overhead rack at Chester.

We had opted for a cheaper ticket which entailed us getting on a Chester to London Avanti Service but changing at Crewe for another Crewe to London Avanti Service.

My wife's suitcase looked like something Emelda Marcos would take on a 6 month trip so it had to stay in the vestibule by the doors.

When we alighted I struggled to get her huge case onto the platform and watched as the train departed - with my rucksack still in the overhead rack!

Luckily I had all my travel documents and tickets in my money belt.

I spoke to Avanti Train Dispatchers on the Platform at Crewe and they told me the bag I'd left on the train had been located and I could pick it up at Lost Property at Euston. So off we went to London on our booked Avanti Service with me only having travel documents and the clothes I was wearing.

On Arrival in London I checked with Lost Property - nothing. Same the next day.

We flew to the other side of the pond where my first full day in Vancouver was spent buying new clothes, walking boots, coat etc etc.

On our return a month later, we checked at Lost Property at Euston again - nothing. Despite contacting Avanti I never saw my bag again so god knows what they did with it.

I claimed everything back on the Travel Insurance and received a cheque for £450.

This all despite me contacting Train Dispatchers, Train Staff, Avanti and Lost Property with all the bag details and contents. I also left an A4 piece of paper in the bag with my Name, Home Address and all email and phone contact details.

 

[Horizon22]

You can also get some crew who can't give two tosses about this sort of thing.

It’s a massive a hassle to deal with if you have the original report because it could ultimately be in so many places and with so many outcomes - especially if it’s been say an hour since it was lost. Chasing around loads of stations and services isn’t always practical and best to send people through the official lost property process or MissingX

Despite contacting Avanti I never saw my bag again so god knows what they did with it. I claimed everything back on the Travel Insurance and received a cheque for £450.

This all despite me contacting Train Dispatchers, Train Staff, Avanti and Lost Property with all the bag details and contents. I also left an A4 piece of paper in the bag with my Name, Home Address and all email and phone contact details.

Unfortunately sometimes it has nothing to do with the train company and people just steal things. In a metro railway I’ve seen someone can report something and 15 minutes later nothing is found when checked at terminus. This is not to say the lost property process is perfect of course even when centralised for one company.

 

[parkender102]

It’s a massive a hassle to deal with if you have the original report because it could ultimately be in so many places and with so many outcomes - especially if it’s been say an hour since it was lost. Chasing around loads of stations and services isn’t always practical and best to send people through the official lost property process or MissingX



Unfortunately sometimes it has nothing to do with the train company and people just steal things. In a metro railway I’ve seen someone can report something and 15 minutes later nothing is found when checked at terminus. This is not to say the lost property process is perfect of course even when centralised for one company.

Strange as they did say it had been located and there was nothing of much value in there. Main things were a new pair of Binoculars (£15), a new quilted Jacket (£40) and a new pair of Merrell Trainers/Trail Shoes (£80). All never used! That was the gutting thing.

 

[spp]

It does feel like there ought to be some procedure for bringing a forgotten bag to the attention of the right people to prevent it causing a security alert.

One of many problems caused by fragmented nature of our railways

 

[Dr Hoo]

One of many problems caused by fragmented nature of our railways

What sort of system do you hope for under GBR?

As a former BR station manager the challenge was that people could notify their loss to any of a wide range of staff, e.g. guard of their ‘next’ train, platform, barrier, booking office or phoning in later on. I get that methods of communication have moved on since then but you couldn’t just have a “use Twitter/X to notify GBRHQ in Derby” process for example.

 

[Angmering1974]

What sort of system do you hope for under GBR?

As a former BR station manager the challenge was that people could notify their loss to any of a wide range of staff, e.g. guard of their ‘next’ train, platform, barrier, booking office or phoning in later on. I get that methods of communication have moved on since then but the you couldn’t just have a “use Twitter/X to notify GBRHQ in Derby” process for example.

Staff could use their work mobile devices to log it on an internal system? Similar to how almost any other organisations would do it: provide all their staff the tools to offer such a (basic) service. That "challenge" sounds like a good thing for the customer - staff should be available and not redirect people to Twitter...!

Has the railway been so anti passenger for so long that we can't even imagine a really obvious solution to the problem? I find it so baffling

(We need less "X"/Twitter and more in house solutions, not outsourcing something so critical to some odd social network platform. I honestly first thought your suggestion was a joke?)

 

[Dr Hoo]

Given the parallel thread about breakdowns in communication during journeys requiring Assistance - multiple apps, differences between TOCs, inadequate training and so forth I think that a unified GBR tablet issued to every member of staff across a wide spread of grades who might receive a lost property notification or enquiry is rather a large ask.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Staff could use their work mobile devices to log it on an internal system? Similar to how almost any other organisations would do it: provide all their staff the tools to offer such a (basic) service. That "challenge" sounds like a good thing for the customer - staff should be available and not redirect people to Twitter...!

Has the railway been so anti passenger for so long that we can't even imagine a really obvious solution to the problem? I find it so baffling

(We need less "X"/Twitter and more in house solutions, not outsourcing something so critical to some odd social network platform. I honestly first thought your suggestion was a joke?)

Many can - I logged in to the website we use for lost property today. There was over 11k items logged on there with photos. I don't have hours to spend looking or entering different search terms.

I did fortunately find someone's lost bag today by contacting the conductor on the train that it was left on, obviously that's not something I could do if it was a different company.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Many can - I logged in to the website we use for lost property today. There was over 11k items logged on there with photos. I don't have hours to spend looking or entering different search terms.

I did fortunately find someone's lost bag today by contacting the conductor on the train that it was left on, obviously that's not something I could do if it was a different company.

Sounds like a pretty good system. Presumably it advises that item is now at ‘X station lost property office for collection’?

Could be just the thing for all parts of the system to standardise on perhaps.

I realise that at the moment a passenger might not know which operator they had been travelling on (e.g. if they just hopped on the first train operated by any of the six TOCs serving Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly) but in most cases they will know which train they used.

 

[Haywain]

but in most cases they will know which train they used.

But that may not be train a lost item is found on.

 

[londonbridge]

I once left an item on a National Express coach, contacted them soon as I realised, never saw it again.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Sounds like a pretty good system. Presumably it advises that item is now at ‘X station lost property office for collection’?

It has good potential.

Currently I can see where the item was logged, which headcode/train it was found on and description/photos.

We've only recently moved to different software and have not received training yet, probably can use filters to help narrow down items where the description could be better or simplified (i.e black bag Vs black Adidas backpack)

 

[njr001]

Whilst this is a solution ’after the horse has bolted’ in this case. if you have an iPhone there are cheap Chinese smart tags as well as AirTags that can be placed in bags, admitted I tend to use then when travelling by air with bags going in the hold and also hidden on my bike.