night train - safety

I read the same posting but it is hard to judge the accuracy, A while back I did a google search especially for urban myths on this subject. All reports were always second and third hand. This posting was the first, first person account I have ever read. Don't doubt that they were robbed but question if they were "gassed." This question was discussed earlier on this site and a medical doctor claimed that it would very, very difficult if not impossible to get enough concentration of the gas to do the job. AND IF there was such a gas that worked that effective at low concentrations, then the robbers would be a risk of being knocked out.

We have spent a lot of time on trains and have never encountered anyone who has been robbed. Take some reasonable precautions -- a secondary lock or wedge to prevent the door from been opened -- put all your valuables in a secured bag and secure the bag. You will be fine.

i took several rides in both italy and spain on night trains and never had problems. i think the people got robbed are usually lack common sense, such as lock your door, don't be too flashy, etc.

i'll probably be wrong on this, but it never stopped me before, so why change. :} i think it is more a common thing to be ripped off on the "snatch - and - go" things like buses , and short train rides...a long journey into the night means whoevr might be stealing from you is stuck on the same train...don't know about the gas thing..

I doubt the validity of this story. The person claimed that gas was sprayed into their train car to "knock them out." This story has been around a long time and just an urban myth. The traveler had over 2000 euro on them - way too much money to have on hand no matter how safe you think you are.

My anesthesiologist friend confirms that (outside of James Bond movies) there's no such thing as a knock out gas that can be sprayed into enclosed areas to render people unconscious without killing them and affecting the robbers too. I suspect it's easier to believe that you were gassed than that you were asleep and just didn't wake up.

I have heard stories of people being drugged and robbed in bars and trains after accepting food or drink from a new "friend" or not noticing their "friend" putting something into a drink. These stories, by the way, almost always are said to occur in places like India, Africa, or Russia--not Western Europe. I don't know if these stories are true or not, but at lease there are actual "date rape" drugs that can be slipped into food or drugs to render victims too groggy to defend themselves. So, it would be prudent to be careful about food and drink on trains.

I read the postings too. Some of it seems a bit overblown. I did take one of these trains (Lausanne---> Rome night train) and it was not a great experience. There did seem to be a robber issue.

I too think that posting is a little over the tops. But not sure of the purpose. My experience from other travel sites when someone posts a story related to a serious problem is that they hang around and discuss it or defend it if necessary. The posting was the 16th, several people have questioned the accuracy or details but the poster has not responded with any follow up. I would like to think it was an honest story but who knows.