Freccia trains… safe to lock bags on racks and wander the train a bit

I’m sure you will need to use the bathroom at some point too. If you are traveling alone and nobody can watch it for you, locking your bag is not a bad idea. Take your ticket with you in case you are asked to show it during your wandering. When I was young in Italy, traveling by train with my friends, we were constantly wandering the trains from end to end trying to pick up cute girls visiting Italy. Sometimes we even forgot where our seats (and bags) were.

I would say that in a whole life riding Italian trains, I still have to see with my own eyes a bag locked to the rack, and I still have to witness a case of a bag being stolen. At least, be sure you do not block other people retrieving their bags.

As for wandering, the old car layout with compartments and a separate side corridor somehow encouraged getting up and strolling a bit, but the present, airplane-like layout does not make for wandering. You can always go to the toilet, or look for the restaurant car (vending machines on some trains like Italo), but the idea of wandering car to car, just to spend time, defies my mind.

The probability of your bag going AWOL on a train is similar to it disappearing in the bowels of an airport. If you do not worry about the latter you should also not worry about the former.

I leave my suitcase in the luggage rack at the end of the train without much thought. But I do not keep anything that is not readily replaced in there. My valuables I keep in my day pack. And that usually stays with me, but I will even leave it at my seat to go to the toilet. But I will not leave it unattended while the train is stopped in a station.

What you need to know is a bit of psychology...
Criminals want to just grab and disappear. They do not hang around afterwards, so your stuff is pretty safe while the train is moving.
They do not like to draw attention, and when confronted will just drop the loot and run away. Which is why it is during stops at stations that you need to be vigilant.

I've seen them used on OBB trains and Hungarian trains, but not a lot. I have read that some trains in Portugal have cable ties and that the new RailJet trains have cable ties, and from: Le Figaro newspaper, apparently a thing in France.

“On French trains, passengers must be extra careful and find ways around them. Increasingly, they are locking their luggage with a padlock. This trick is authorized by the SNCF, as long as personal belongings are stored in the designated spaces (above the seats, between back-to-back seats, and at the ends of the carriages) and as long as this does not prevent other passengers from storing theirs.”

There are some nice lightweight locking cables on Amazon for this. Personally, if I did anything, it would be to tie mine and my companion's case together. No one would grab and run two ... I think. But do what puts your mind at ease so you can enjoy the holiday.

I’m not sure there’s a huge overlap between Le Figaro readership and train ridership in 2025. In 50 years taking SNCF trains regularly, I’ve never seen a lock.

I do use locks on my suitcases when travelling on European trains, especially in Italy. But, I usually thread the lock (a Pacsafe extendable steel chain) through the suitcases, so anyone trying to pinch the cases would have to try and drag two or three suitcases out at once and through the narrow train doors. I don’t put suitcases in the overhead racks, but on the racks either end of the train carriage. Smaller bags stay with me under the seat.

But, I usually thread the lock (a Pacsafe extendable steel chain) through the suitcases, so anyone trying to pinch the cases would have to try and drag two or three suitcases out at once and through the narrow train doors.

I have done the same, cable locking together multiple bags, and also looping the cable around a rail on the rack. This was 20+ years ago, when I was still traveling via trains a lot, traveling with my family, multiple bags and cases. My train usage today is fairly limited, mostly Eurostar between Paris and London, with few stops, easy to watch my bags at the end of the car for whatever stops there are.

Edit: in case it was lost in translation, I no longer chain my bags to train racks in Europe. That was 20+ years ago that I did it, and I frankly only did it a couple of times. Yet I can't blame anyone for doing it today.

In view of all the people who leave their suburban NJ cars running in the mall parking lot, and who do not bring a lock to the YMCA (!) locker room, I think you may be over-estimating the risk of a bag theft on a [premium] train. I've been to Europe 50 times, and have never had a bag stolen.

If you do lock your bag, please show consideration for the owners of bags near yours, who may need to quickly remove their bag during a very short station stop.

Just because we have not personally experienced or witnessed theft of bags aboard high speed Freccia trains, doesn’t mean they don’t happen. They are less frequent than theft aboard other means of transportation and usually occur just before a station stop, when the perpetrators can quickly get off with the stolen loot, and generally target unattended bags in the luggage holds at the ends of each car, but they do occasionally happen, and some are part of organized crime gangs who engage in such type of activity, by replacing stolen bags with identical empty bags, as we can see from the articles below.
So, not only is it not wise to leave bags unattended on high speed trains, but it is risky also to just fall asleep with bags on the overhead rack, as you can read in the last article linked below..

https://milano.repubblica.it/cronaca/2023/01/28/news/furti_zaini_treni_roma_alta_velocita_italo_frecciarossa_arrestati-385491805/
https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2025/07/21/tre-ladri-entrano-sul-frecciarossa-e-rubano-una-borsa-con-un-milione-e-mezzo-di-euro-di-gioielli-e-orologi-dalla-cappelliera-la-vittima-del-furto-tatiana-luter-grazie-alla-polizia-che-li-ha-fermat/8068871/
https://www.romatoday.it/cronaca/ladri-gabriella-golia-treno-roma.html
https://www.virgilio.it/notizie/nima-benati-derubata-di-gioielli-e-abiti-del-valore-di-100mila-euro-furto-in-treno-alla-fotografa-a-bologna-1695793
https://www.linkiesta.it/2015/01/caro-direttore-sul-frecciarossa-rubano-i-bagagli/
https://www.parmatoday.it/cronaca/furto-treno-roma.html

I had my duffel suitcase stolen this summer on a Verona to Munich train. The train was operated by Austria. The suitcases were right next to us (we had reserved seats next to the racks) but we were facing the other way. We had been really good about watching our bags on trains the entire trip and perhaps bc we were on our way back to airport and ending our travels we got complacent. I have ridden trains in Italy and elsewhere for four decades and have never had a bag stolen. It happens. In the future if we travel by train we will only travel with bags we can stick on the overhead above us or use a lock, (but we usually rent a car anyway ). The whole experience actually made me more sad than mad and luckily nothing was in there but clothes since passports etc were in my backpack at my feet. This happens much more than is reported I was told. Visitors (like us) just don’t have the time or choose to visit the local police to report etc. (especially if nothing valuable). Just my recent experience fwiw.

I just got back last week from a trip to Italy where someone almost walked away with my luggage.

Hopefully by accident.

It was an IC train to Pisa on a Sunday morning and one or two stops before Pisa, a couple got up, grabbed their luggage including my suitcase. I happened to notice so got up quickly to stop them before they left the train…I assume they were confused or tired but they weren’t really apologetic.

They just grabbed another piece of luggage (theirs hopefully) and got off the train. Again, assume be an accident but definitely made me keep an eye on my luggage more closely for the remainder of the trip.

And watch out for this suitcase theft trick used by the great Totò, in the classic movie “I due marescialli” with Vittorio De Sica.
https://youtu.be/ZyaN_ThshDU?si=aHKYRHL5uH29e2lG

A couple of posts touch on the difference between being local and being on a holiday. The local might say they dont put anything valuable in the luggage on the rack at the end of the train. The tourist valuable takes on a differnet meaning. The Eiffel Tower today or asking around for the location of a good shopping mall, then the taxi and all for replacement underwear?

I've seen train vloggers mention that more Italian train stations are putting up turnstiles to restrict platform access without a ticket because of luggage theft. Snatch and grab, doesn't take long, if there's nothing good in the luggage just dump and repeat.

You might also watch some train vlogs from Italy to see how people walk through the train to show the different classes and the bathrooms and ... well, it's kinda interesting the first time and that's it.

I think every traveler needs to make their own risk management calculations. We traveled for a month with our luggage on Freccia trains last summer and never saw any cabled, locked bags. Certainly we didn't take any such steps. But others might be uncomfortable with our approach.

One thing that is handy for me is to be early on the train and slide my bags between the backs of the seats. Since I have a carry on size, it always fits. You do have to get lucky, but being first on, especially when you are at the start of the train journey, helps a lot. I think the locking to each other is kinda handy (again, better if you're first on, or the bottom of the "pile" of suitcases in the rack), it's hard to make a quick getaway when you have to maneuver 2 cases and a body through the narrow passage haha

OOOO but those links Roberto shared reported theft from between the seats too! wow.....yeesh people....

more Italian train stations are putting up turnstiles

I believe the cause of trouble is mostly aggressive panhandling; may be even pickpocketing rather than luggage theft.

All you have to do is get up each time the train is slowing for a stop, watch your bag and don’t sit back down till the doors close and the train moves.
Bring a colourful bag….not black.
Keep all passports , bank cards, cash and valuables attached to your body at all times.
NOT in an overhead rack.

Bring a colourful bag….not black.

My bags are festooned with unique and colorful pom poms and bag tags, something I have done for at least 20 years, originally for the ease of spotting them on the baggage carousel.

This tactic would obviously be helpful on a train, too, it should eliminate virtually 100 percent of the "accidental" pilfering. But I find it nearly impossible to believe that many people "accidentally" grab the wrong bag on a train - your bag is exactly where you left it, only a couple of hours prior - I mean, really, you can't keep track of your bag, where you placed it? I don't buy it...

The only time in my life I have witnessed a luggage theft was during a South America concert tour. When we arrived to the Santiago, Chile, airport, a piece of luggage was missing; the only possible time for the luggage to disappear was when we were on our private bus, in front of our hotel, waiting for the bus to leave for the airport. The victim was our principal bass player, a 6 feet 2 inches fellow. He went on commenting: what the heck a 5 feet Chilean thief is going to do with my clothes?

Apparently, luggage theft was a problem in South America at the time. When we arrived at Buenos Aires, the travel organizers told us not to unload our luggage from the bus, let the people from the hotel do it and then retrieve our things in the hotel lobby. This is because if only the hotel personnel did the unloading, they would have spotted unknown people trying to unload the luggage. But if a bunch of people each unloads his/her luggage, it would have been much easier for a thief to sneak in.

What is the downside of locking the bag ? What is the downside of losing the bag ?

I’m sure stealing bags is not common. Neither is pickpocketing. But my wife’s wallet was picked out of her purse in Rome last spring. Fortunately, that was right in front of 2 unercover cops who nabbed the perp !

Bigtyke, this one is right up there with tipping, carrying your passport and what to wear to the opera in Eastern Europe. It brings out the unexpected in people. On a similar thread we had who I thought was an experienced European who travels on trains a lot telling the OP that locking your bag was illegal and the conductor would "throw the book at you" (press charges). Wow! Rulinh that out, the argument that is left is that by locking your bag someone else cant come along and move your bag so theirs will fit. Honestly, I put my bag in the most efficient location leaving the greatest amount of free space for others ....... then i really dont want anyone dragging my bag out and reorganizing things. That's sort of presumptious. So I can't think of a legitimate reason against doing locking .... well, other than the threat of time in a Turkish prison.

I say this, having never done it. I put it above my seat. But G-d Bless the OP if lockig it will improve the quality of their holiday.

Just an observation as someone who has lugged luggage up and down the UK train network and elsewhere for decades.
Luggage racks are communal spaces. If the train has stops, luggage will be being added, removed and rearranged throughout the journey. On a busy train basically 3D tetris.

If your bags are locked together or to the rack you will be making other peoples lives much more difficult. If you are standing by the rack to unlock your bags at each stop, as required, you will probably be in the way of other people just trying to get there stuff on and off the train. If there are a lot of stops you will be up and down like a jack in the box.

If I was a thief i would also be particularly interested in the cases that are locked with owners that are constantly checking them.

Keep all your valuables with you and, if you are really worried, position your case behind someone else's in the rack.
Whilst I am not denying it happens it is nowhere near as common as other types of crime.

I would have thought the point of locking bags together or to the luggage rack, was to avoid having to jump up and check your luggage at each stop. As previously mentioned, I thread a steel cable with a lock through our suitcases on the luggage rack (at each end of the carriage) and do so in a way which does not affect other passengers storing or retrieving their luggage. Perhaps watch the proliferation of you tube videos of luggage theft from UK trains. People should not be criticised for taking security precautions in view of the laissez faire attitude towards theft by the police in many European countries.

Keep all your valuables with you and, if you are really worried,
position your case behind someone else's in the rack.

For a tourist traveling light in a strange country with a different language that could be everything as replacement of even underwear can mean a day of tourism missed. Again, I have never locked anything, but I do get it.

I’ve just had a look at the stats for the UK. Off topic for a post about Italian rail journeys but whilst the situation might be worse elsewhere in Europe I doubt it is catastrophically so and the figures might be of interest.

They aren’t for quite the same time period but near enough.
In 2024 1,730 million rail journeys in the UK. Just under 2000 suitcases stolen on the rail network, the vast majority from stations. Yes there was an increase in the number of cases stolen in the previous year but with those odds I think you are safe to risk not tying up your case.

Regarding not needing to watch your case if you have tied it up. If you have locked it you SHOULD be watching and jumping up at stations because you will be needed to unlock it to help other people get to their luggage. Ignoring it because your luggage is safe will just make the situation worse.

If you are that worried about your case lock it, but you will be making your journey more difficult without , from what I can tell, relieving much of the anxiety.

I can't remember the last time I heard of a case being stolen from a UK train, but it is relatively commonplace to see someone leaving their luggage unattended at a station while going to the toilet or a food outlet.
I've lost count of the number of such security scares I've been involved in. Just this morning I've had one at my local station - I saw unattended luggage and immediately went in search of the thoughtless, local culprit, who got the very thick end of my tongue. That at a time when we had the two busy school trains of the day. The consequences, even just of a station evacuation would have been severe.The
I'm just an ordinary passenger on a day out, but on heightened alert after last week.

I dont know about the UK but the question was Italy. We had a poster earlier this year that had one nicked off a train in Hungary.

The luggage racks on the Italian trains have three tiers and each tier might fit three suitcases at most Can’t see how having three suitcases on the floor level tier (with a chain looped through them) would affect other passengers getting their bags on or off. I don’t fancy getting my suitcase pinched and then trying to replace clothing, shoes, toiletries and a new suitcase in a foreign city, reporting it to the police, and then the hassle of obtaining reimbursement from my travel insurance company.

Here is an interesting article. Please note the second photograph. LOL
https://www.all-about-industries.com/the-new-railjet-is-a-double-decker-a-6c5d466c3c1be28dea2aed3cab86aab8/

Westbahn already has locking luggage racks.

And the French train company is saying its okay to do it. So why are we arguing about it? All we need to understand is that there is no tipping in Europe and you have to carry your passport all the time.

EDIT: Ohhhh, that last part Nigel? I guess my way of saying this is getting a bit goofy like a few other subjects. But I suspect if you do a search in the forum you will find people making both statements, just like you will find that statement that cabling your bag is against the law and the conductor can prosecute you. All crazy. But okay, for you my friend, since your concerns come from a good place. Consider it deleted.

Mr E -

I know you are talking through your hat speaking tongue in cheek, but people doing a search on what you just said or newbies coming across it may not know that you intentionally posted false statements to make a point, and may make a mistake because of it.

I would guess that people missing their stop because they have trouble getting the cable off is more common than people having their luggage stolen...

Wengen, it's interesting that you mentioned that. I read on another site about someone who missed their stop because the lock they were using malfunctioned and they couldn't open it. I believe a conductor and a pair of bolt cutters, and a new ticket from the downline station were involved in the end. A rare occurrence, I'm sure.

Actually missing the train stop because of falling asleep is far more common than missing the train for any other reason. Years ago my cousin coming from Milan fell asleep and instead of getting off in Florence he had to wait until he reached Rome to get the train back. It's so common that there are plenty of discussions on the net on what to do.

But if you lock the bags, use a combination lock (so that you don't struggle looking for the key) and get up, unlock it in sufficient time and wait there until the station. An extra 10 min standing before getting off is not so bad.

thats what I would do. Somehting like this: https://www.amazon.com/RST-201-Combination-50cm-Suitcase-Diameter/dp/B08T9JTS1H/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=F2EYo&content-id=amzn1.sym.4efc43db-939e-4a80-abaf-50c6a6b8c631%3Aamzn1.symc.5a16118f-86f0-44cd-8e3e-6c5f82df43d0&pf_rd_p=4efc43db-939e-4a80-abaf-50c6a6b8c631&pf_rd_r=9GQ6RRXAE052ETEAG582&pd_rd_wg=BLeJS&pd_rd_r=f699792e-7e4b-4174-b3c9-f1a44eb62190&ref_=pd_hp_d_atf_ci_mcx_mr_ca_hp_atf_d&th=1

Those fail all the time especially when people are in a hurry/panic. Just get a lock and key. Put the key on a lanyard around your neck. Never fails.

I still like the idea of cabling two cases togehter. No one is running with them that way. The theft that was on here that happened in Budapest, I guy jumped on just before the doors closed, grabed a bag and jumped off. All the victim could do is wave goodbye. I find it hard to believe that the guy that did it, only did it once in his life. So there has to be quite a bit going on. But who reports it? So tha stats are meaningless. Are you goning to take the train from Vienna back to Budapest to report it? Of course not. Are you going to waste 1 hour of your holiday to report it? Probably no. You need to find a mall to buy new skivvies.

Those fail all the time especially when people are in a hurry/panic.
Just get a lock and key. Put the key on a lanyard around your neck.
Never fails.

Thanks to the lock picking lawyer, I can open one of those in 5 seconds without knowing the combination.

Those fail all the time especially when people are in a hurry/panic. Just get a lock and key. Put the key on a lanyard around your neck. Never fails.

Excellent idea!

I struggle with the TSA combo locks on my suitcase even when I am under no pressure. But with the stress of unlocking it on a crowded train, the key, on a lanyard around my neck, is foolproof.

I think the take away is that if it’s happened to you (which as I posted it did for me the first time after 40 years of trains while traveling ) you will walk on to your next Italian train (if I take another train) a different person. Am I going to keep my eye on my bag even if above me or locked? Absolutely. Am I going to look a bit more suspiciously at random persons walking up and down the aisle at a station stop ? Absolutely. Unfortunately that’s what happens. Use a (usable/ practiced) lock if you want to OP! It is easy to opine without direct experience. Doesn’t matter if you think ‘it never happens’ until it happens to you. Yes it’s only clothes but some special pieces and some inexpensive gifts also. Not the end of the world. Go out in the world with openness but also be aware train crime is happening and underreported.i don’t think anyone is overreacting to try and find ways to keep your things safe in a place where it should be safe. The posters who have experienced theft on a train I think would like to help the OP avoid what we went through.

Albeit my experience is a very limited sampled size of one trip on Freccia from Rome to Florence this week, I was shocked to find that the overhead racks were narrow (maybe a foot wide) and there was no end-of-the-coach storage space for larger bags. From the comments I heard in Italian, they were surprised too. People did hoist large bags up there, but seeing it took me back to years ago when a bottle of duty-free scotch landed on my head during landing. Wouldn’t get me to sit under them, rough landing or not. Definitely lock it up. Please.

From my recent experience on Italian trains, there were no luggage racks at either end of the carriages in second class. Some bags were so heavy it took two men to haul them up into the overhead racks. I saw end of carriage luggage racks in first, business and executive class.

This has been a long discussion with no further comments from the OP.
One presumes he is traveling endlessly up and down Italy trying to unlock his bag……

As someone pointed out ,once you have struggled with big luggage one time on a European train, you will take a small carryon bag forevermore.