theft of suitcases on trains?

We took Eurostar trains from Venice to Florence and from Florence to Rome. I can only speak from sitting in the 1st class area, but we had no concerns about theft of suitcases in our area. There was room above our seats for our suitcases.

Or as suggested on this site, bring a chain or bicycle "lock" to thread through the handles and around the stands at the end of each compartment.

Never had an issue on the trains but I imagine it DOES HAPPEN. Smaller luggage can go over your head and on emptier trains I've seen folks stack luggage next to them on an empty seat.

Eurostars are assigned seating so if someone comes you will have to move your stuff!

Ciao,
Ron

Taken our bike in cases and luggage on trains, never had a problem. Do keep our eye on stuff, and try to keep it on the seat next to us, or at our feet.

We've even placed luggage at the back of the train where there is space (no seats). Never locked stuff.

The overhead area is very small, large enough for a daypack, not a carry on piece of luggage. It's not as deep as in an airplane.

There isn't really a "storage" area on the trains for luggage. you do the best you can do. You'll be amazed at the size of bags Italians bring on the train with them!

You will store them overhead. No need to worry!!

Rick on theft of suitcases on trains in Italy: "Italian trains are famous for their thieves. Never leave a bag unattended."

Thanks, now if I can manage to get my credit card to work on line when ordering my tickets I will be all set.

We took alot of trains in Italy a couple of months ago. There is plenty of space for carry on bags above your seats. I placed 4 each time for the 2 of us. There is also room for a bag behind your seat. Not to worry.

We have always carried a cable lock and secured our bags even if directly overhead. It is easy to be distracted. Often the luggage bins at the end of the cars do not have a convenient pole or something to lock to so we just cable the two bags together assuming that will make it more difficult for someone to grab and run. In 15+ years of travel have never had a problem or see anyone with a problem.

Thanks Frank I like that idea;-)

Felecia
For 10 years I have traveled throughout Italy using the Eurostar and other Italian trains in 1st and 2nd class. Often you will not have a place for luggage near your seat and you will need to place it in the communal luggage compartment at the ends of each car. For safety you can use small locks on each case and run a wire cord through the handles of two or more cases and lock them together.
Ciao!!

If they are carry on size - you shouldn't have any problem putting them directly above you on the Eurostar - a lock is an excellent idea. We didn't have trouble even when we were on the local trains - but I know that can vary train to train. We had backpacks - so we ran the wasteband straps through the rails above and clipped them together so no one could grab them quickly and run. We did a fair amount of train travel and never saw any problems at all - but we were very diligent about paying attention to our surroundings as Rick suggests.

After perusing the site, I was really worried about theft in Italy, but we had absolutely no problem. We sat in 2nd class and a few times had to store our luggage further down the cabin. When people got on and off I would periodically check on the bags, but there was no incident. We also took a night train and had no problems.