How do you keep luggage safe in a train

I don’t worry about any of this and assume my bag is fine on the 1 France train ride I take every few years.

Likewise it's not something I bother about - why would someone want to steal my suitcase full of clothes? And if it did happen, it's covered by travel insurance, and I can buy new clothes. I do always keep my valuables (passports, credit cards, laptop etc) in a small bag near me, or on my person. In all my train trips, no-one has ever stolen my suitcase, so while the theft reported on the forum recently was unfortunate, I dont think it's common.

Thanks for your advice Elizabeth.

I usually sit 1st Class Upper Deck as well and do try to choose a seat either right across from the luggage rack or where I can see my bag when we stop. I pick 1st because I want to sit in the single seats down one side and not have to sit next to anyone.

I do have a concern about my bag being lifted. I am plus-sized and it’s harder to find clothes to fit. I also don’t want to waste time trying to re-outfit myself. I’m a sink wash traveler and have carefully curated a travel wardrobe through the years where I know every item will dry mostly overnight. It’s definitely not curated for style, lol, but for function.

Thanks for the info that downstairs is not a walk through. i’ll keep that in mind for next trip!

On my recent trip to Carcassonne, on the long TGV leg I got to be “The Woman in Seat 61”, lol. For those that don’t know, there is a marvelous train information site called The Man in Seat 61! It just make me giggle when I can be in 61!

My solution is to travel with beat-up, 25-year-old thrift store luggage whose handles have been repaired with duct tape. It's been a very effective theft defense tactic.

In 2019 we were on a train from Nice to Paris and I noted on the Nice to Marseille leg it appeared to be mostly French citizens sitting in our area and at every stop people would lean out into the aisle and watch the luggage racks so apparently it's a concern to many. Count my wife as one who would be very concerned if her suitcase went missing, she's 5' tall and curvy and most of her clothes need to be altered. Lost luggage would be a serious inconvenience which is why we also try not to check out bags at the airport. On a train we try to be first on, and if we can't keep the luggage near us we hopefully have it at the bottom of the luggage rack so it's less likely to be grabbed quickly.

Hmmm I hadn't thought about that about the bottom level of TGVs not being walk-through. That's a great tip.

I remember a few years ago, a French friend of mine had her suitcase stolen on a train between Paris and Frankfurt. What a pain. She didn't have a flashy suitcase. It was her clothes for a week of work. Whether you're traveling for work or vacation, who wants to spend your time reconstituting your carefully chosen items so you can keep going.

I've heard of unfortunately way too many thefts recently of personal items at people's feet on the trains between the Côte d'Azur or Marseille and Paris. Where people had serious valuables, money, passports, etc. That's another one to watch out for.

"I've heard of unfortunately way too many thefts recently of personal items at people's feet on the trains"

Yikes, Kim. That is a little shocking! Thanks for that information!

I now sit in the aisle seat because I am more watchful of our bags and people when the train stops at a station. My husband is more likely to have his earbuds in and is oblivious.

Also we often sit in 2nd class and I look for the wedge shaped slots between seats and slide my 22” suitcase in there on the floor so I can see it in front of me or feel it immediately behind me when we stop.

The best on I heard was on a UK train a couple of years ago.

The conductor got on the PA system to say the train would be delayed waiting for the police to arrive. It seems a luggage thief was caught. They caught him with the conductor's bag.

The suitcase I travel with is bright yellow. Thieves do not like to be conspicuous. So i guess this helps.

But the best thing is to just not have anything you cannot afford to lose in your suitcase. Have your valueables with you. And keep an eye on them. Thieves aren't interested in your laundry. They are looking for credit cards. American Credit Cards specifically. So keep an eye on your daypack during station stops.

Recently, we travelled between Provence and Paris on the train. The luggage racks were very full and depending on which stop you got on at, there were few to no options that offered some safety or ease. My spouse has essential medical supplies and size 14 shoes, neither of which can all be placed in a small carry on by our seats, and neither of which are easily replaced if stolen. We have no choice but to use a 24” suitcase. We opt to keep a close eye on our luggage throughout the journey and at stops; most recently I stood nearby as necessary.

My case has a bright coloured ribbon on the handle that I can lean out of my seat to see it on my case when a train stops at various towns.
Either that or I get up and hover nearby till the doors close and we are moving again.
This year was my first time on French trains as I am usually in Italy.
I was interested when my Strasbourg to Paris train carriage was a dead end at the back, as I’d never seen that before.
The luggage area back there was huge.

I look for the wedge shaped slots between seats and slide my 22” suitcase in there on the floor

That's a great idea for so many reasons.

Yep- after having my personal item with clothes stolen on a flight to Frankfurt— if I can’t put my spinner bag on the top rack of the train’s luggage racks where I can see it from my seat—- I keep it next to my feet on the train floor.