The other day on the Liverpool to London train I was taking, we were delayed at one of the stops. Once we got going, the conductor gets on the PA to apologize and warn us to keep an eye on our bags. Why? Because someone had just tried to steal his bag.
No word on what happened afterward.
I try to keep mine at the rear of the luggage rack and within eyesight. Only if it won't fit above my seat which happens on some trains.
Queue the freak-outs.
Simple cable ties work well to tie your luggage together if someone tries to steal them they end up pulling all your bags out thus making it obvious what is happening
Simple cable ties work well to tie your luggage together
You know what, that is a great idea. Never thought of that. And many of these luggage racks in the train have metal bars that you could also tie it to, making it more difficult for thieves. A simple wire bicycle lock would probably do the trick too.
We did have a bad experience once which fortunately didn't affect us personally. In a very crowded train, just before the train was going to leave, a couple of young guys yelled "We're on the wrong train! Our train is on the other platform!" and quickly got off the train. A minute later, right after the train had left the station, several passengers noticed their luggage was missing.
Freak-out? No, but use common sense. Pretty bold to attempt stealing the conductor's bag. I keep my bag near me when on trains.
Others have noted that it's pretty rude to cable your luggage to the rack because others sometimes need to move luggage around a bit in order to make theirs fit.
Just another reason to pack light.
I use this compact retractable cable lock to secure my bags to the racks on trains:
http://tinyurl.com/y78no3s2
Works great; easy to get on and off. Great way to keep those train thieves at bay.
Seems like a carabiner would suffice and is a good idea!
It really depends on what type of train you are on. A high-speed, reservation only train is far less likely to have thieves on board and makes very few stops. In Spain, the AVE also has a security screening process for ticketholders only, so the chance of theft is very small. But a local/regional train making lots of stops with lots of locals hoping on and off would suggest keeping a closer eye on one's luggage.
And I'd think the chance of accidental luggage removal would be a factor since so many bags look alike. Even if someone quickly noticed they grabbed the wrong bag, the train might be long gone.
If you are going to secure your bags to the racks, please use common sense and courtesy. People need to be able to move bags around and if yours is tied in place, it can make it hard to do so. So don't set it on top/front of another bag and then lock it, making it hard for the person to get their bag from underneath or behind.
Wasn't there a movie made about stealing a train? :-)
it's pretty rude to cable your luggage to the rack
I guess you're right. Can't have everything, security AND good manners.
A high-speed, reservation only train is far less likely to have
thieves on board and makes very few stops.
On the contrary. The incident I described took place on precisely such a high speed train. So much more time for the thieves to get away if the train doesn't stop again for an hour and is far away at the next stop.
BTW, I am not aware of any "reservation only" trains in Europe - or in Germany at least - , sleepers excepted.
Some countries do run their high speed services as reservation only - but the UK and Germany are not among them. Even with those that do often have reservations available up until the last minute.
I wouldn't like to think how long it would take to get off a train if trapped behind a lot of people releasing bags attached to racks.
The BTP website gives some indication of how people of how people do it. They may not even be travelling.
If you are traveling with a companion, bring cheap plastic cable ties and tie your bags together. Use a small scissors or nail clipper to quickly cut the plastic tie when you depart. That way you won't be inconveniencing your fellow passengers by struggling with a cable lock.
We've only used our compact, lightweight cable a couple of times but we'd set it to unlock with just a quick change of one number (it's a 3 number combination lock). Didn't hold anyone up at all.
BTW, I am not aware of any "reservation only" trains in Europe - or in
Germany at least - , sleepers excepted.
Perhaps it was the choice of word "reservation" that I used, but most high-speed trains I've been on in Europe (and I've been on most if not all, require an actual reserved seat ticket. In contrast to a regional/local train in which you can sit anywhere there is an empty seat. And if no empty seats, you just stand.
I can't speak for the other countries, but as Marco already pointed out, it does seem that Germany is an exception to that rule then. This...
you can sit anywhere there is an empty seat. And if no empty seats,
you just stand.
... is actually true for all trains here. The difference being that on the high speed trains you can make reservations (and it sure is advisable during busy times). On the regional/local trains you can't.
