SNCF: attach your luggage

For those who are wondering, SNCF is advising passengers to padlock their luggage.

On French trains, passengers have to be extra cautious and find their own solutions. More and more passengers are securing their luggage with padlocks. This trick is authorized by the SNCF, as long as personal belongings are stowed in the spaces provided (above seats, between back-to-back seats and at the ends of carriages) and as long as this does not prevent other passengers from stowing theirs.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

tant que cela n’empêche pas les autres voyageurs de ranger les leurs.

Here's the part that says you should not really attach luggage to racks, because unless the train is near empty, your cabling your luggage to a rack prevents someone else from arranging the space to accommodate his luggage. Just don't do it.

What I do is cable several of my bags together, making it easy for others to adjust the pile and to add their luggage to the rack, but making my luggage almost impossible to steal.

The real problem here is that the SNCF does not configure their cars with sufficient space for luggage when the trains are full.

I'm confused.....when they say you should padlock your luggage....do they mean:

1) Use a lock to secure the zippers of your luggage so no one can open it,

or

2) Padlock your luggage to the luggage rack so no one takes it?

I think they mean your second option because why would locking the zippers on your bag impact storage for other people’s luggage.

The article says 2).

It starts off with looking at Austria's new Railjet trains that provide a cable and lock integrated into the luggage racks that you can use (with a Pin or chip) to lock your luggage to the rack

Here's a link to the article which embeds a Tweet with a photo of the Railjet locking mechanism on a rack above the seat. Worth a look for that !

https://www.lefigaro.fr/voyages/conseils/contre-les-vols-de-bagages-dans-les-trains-cette-astuce-validee-par-la-sncf-rencontre-un-succes-chez-les-voyageurs-20240806?utm_source=app&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=android_Figaro

We just took the train from Paris to Rennes and Lille to Ghent. Everyone had large suitcases and about 20% of them fit in the rack and the rest were piled up against the racks on the floor with barely enough room to squeeze by as you needed to get by. Loved the train itself but there was no place for luggage. Above the seat racks were only good for a small personal size item or coat.

When the locals are on the move in August, space for something larger than a carry-on bag is tough to come by in France. In 2019 I twice ended up sitting on a flip-down seat in the vestibule so I could babysit my bag, moving it from one side of the car to the other, depending on which door was opening at each stop. I've traveled for more than 20 summer months in Europe since 2015, and I've had some difficulties stowing my 24"-25" bag, but only in France have I been unable to find a spot eventually so I could sit in my reserved seat.

Railjet also has lockable racks at the end of the car, you can use your credit card

Thanks for the warning, Bets. We leave next month for a trip that will require us to take trains in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland and France. I wonder if we should take the same precautions in the other countries as well?

Thanks for the post. I'll bring our cable and lock our two suitcases together.

The idea of locking your luggage to the rack on trains has always gotten significant pushback from many, many people here on the forum. Has there been a change in the consensus on this?

I'm thinking I might need to pack some cable cutters on my next trip, as I'm not trusting people to avoid obstructing others' bags.

there have been several posts about this on the Italy forum, it's probably not exclusive to that fine country.

Just like there are pickpockets and grifters wherever there are tourists.

It seems easy enough to do a cable trick, why not.

phred, my recollection is that for years, when someone asked a question about chaining up their bags, the almost unanimous response here was that it was (1) unnecessary, and (2) going to be a problem if you made it difficult for someone else to retrieve their bag. If it is now the consensus opinion that there is a likelihood of luggage theft on trains, and this is what the savvy traveler does, I just want to know.

Your recollection is correct, Stan. We have always told posters that it's overkill and an inconvenience to others.

This article targets high season travelers when the trains can be very crowded and confusion can ensue particularly at short station stops. This is the first time I've seen this sort of article in a French publication. It's usually the Americans asking about it.

Thanks Bets. Context is everything.

The easier thing to do is just to get up at every stop and watch to make sure no one is taking your bag.
I do that on all trains in every country.
Added bonus of stretching your legs.
Taking cables and locks to lock bags to the train is not really necessary.
You’ll just get in everyone else’s way while you try to unlock and untangle.
Being sure your luggage is colourful and easy to see helps too.

Another thing that will help is packing light - far lighter than is advised elsewhere on this website. Make it so that your bag is easy to move and carry around and doesn't require use of the luggage racks. You can probably get away with fewer tops, with a single pair of shoes, fewer toiletries, etc. - or at least ones that are less bulky.

I understand that's not possible for everyone as circumstances vary but for a great majority of folks it's very easy to take fewer things and be perfectly fine on your trip.

Speaking as a person who traveled with a bicycle during high train season in Europe, the luggage space is quite limited - and the bike rack space even more so. When those of us who have reserved spaces for our bikes are blocked by someone's suitcase, stroller, or cart, we can (and will) move them out of the way so that we can safely park our bicycles, after which point we will try to move luggage between wheels and whatnot to accommodate it. Trust me, it's better than what many train conductors will do in such circumstances. And no, most cyclists will not lock their bikes to the rack as it isn't practical (and often isn't possible).

Above all, though: if you can get away with a smaller, lighter bag it's a blessing in disguise. We're all in this together!

Don't want to be negative. This was always an issue in Italy, not so much in France. It's a shame that France is getting worse on theft. I travel super light (12 lbs. max, bag fits under a Ryanair seat) so it's not something I worry too much about. I can put my bag directly over my head or under my feet if necessary.

If you must have luggage, is it possible to reserve a seat with a clear view of your bags? A bicycle type cable lock seems like a good investment to secure your bags to each other and to something that's fixed to the train.

You can choose seats in 1st class using a diagram that indicates where the luggage racks are, but seats are assigned in 2nd.

My experience with the French trains last October was similar to what many here have reported. The cars were totally full & the luggage rack was a nightmare and overflowing. I remember leaving the TGV at CDG and a nun in full regalia who spoke no English popped out of her seat to help me when she saw my carry on roll aboard had been stuffed into a higher rack and was giving me difficulty in getting it out and down to the floor. I smile every time I remember what a struggle I was having until a nun appeared suddenly to get it down for me.....like a miracle.

Bets,
Thank you so much for the PSA.
Our trip to France is less than a month away, and your post has me seriously thinking about trying to pack lighter for our trip to France. We purchased 1st class tickets on the TGV for our 2 train trips, so hopefully it might be easier to keep an eye on our luggage. When we chose our seats, I noted where the luggage racks were located on our car.

I will join Carol with a "Thank You, Bets" for the information. We all appreciate it.

Here's another tip: if you can handle stairs and luggage, sit upstairs. People with large suitcases sometimes drop them off in the downstairs racks, taking up space, and then sit upstairs. Therefore, there's more luggage storage space available upstairs and it's less likely that a thief working the summer crowds will go upstairs.

I find this advice weird. If anything, luggage theft has become much rarer now that major stations have platform gates. It used to be a real issue in the minutes before train departure. TGV trains don't stop that much, it is not hard to keep an eye at every stop if you'd like, but yes, padlocking would be inconvenient and I never see anyone doing it. When racks are overflowing, it is normal practice to play Tetris with other people's suitcases.