Every month, the ScotRail Alliance operates 60,000 train services and takes hundreds of thousands of people – and their belongings - all across Scotland.
Sadly, despite the polite requests of our staff, not everyone takes all their luggage and personal belongings with them when they leave the train.
Glasgow Queen Street is home to the ScotRail Alliance’s central lost property office. If you lose something on one of our trains, there’s a good chance that it’ll wind up here.
The team there really have seen everything. All of the following are real items that have been forgotten on our trains and stations. Some people were faster than others at claiming their things, so we've had to use stock images in parts of this article.
1. Season tickets
There’s several thousands of pounds worth of season tickets just waiting to be collected. We’d really love to know how you got through the barriers without them. This wouldn’t happen if you had a smartcard.
2. Phones
We have phones. Lots of phones. More phones than we could ever want, including this retro little number. Is it yours? Give us a bell…or maybe not.
3. Glasses
“I can see clearly now, the train has gone…” We get a lot of specs that are left on trains. If you’ve lost yours, it may be worth giving us a ring before heading the opticians for a replacement.
4. Car keys
As much as we want you to travel by train, we’d also rather you didn’t lose these.
5. Skateboards
The chairman of the board would appreciate it if you could collect these as soon as possible.
6. Bikes
We're not sure how you can forget a bike. Did you just walk home, clad in lycra, thinking that you might've forgotten something? (Pic: Fredrik Rubensson; CC BY-SA 2.0)
7. Fancy dress
We’re not sure if these were left behind when things got messy on a stag do, or if the Village People just forgot their outfits. Either way, quit horsing around and pick them up. Please.
8. False teeth
Losing these could leave a sour taste. (Pic: Politikaner; CC BY-SA 3.0 )
9. Kittens
How you could leave these bundles of cuteness behind, we don’t know. But someone did, and we arranged for the SSPCA to take them into their care. (Sadly, we never got a photo when this happened. So this picture is from our archives).
10. A wheelchair
We’re still not sure how this happened. (Pic: George Hodan ; CC BY 4.0 )
This might seem a lot, but it’s only a fraction of the hundreds of items that are handed into us every year. All items go to charity after three months.
If you’ve left something on a ScotRail train, ring the lost property office on 0330 109 2833. Anything lost at Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow Central – or on a train there - may be sent to the left luggage offices in those stations.
For enquiries relating to luggage left on other operator’s trains, please contact them directly.
Image credits:
All images by the ScotRail Alliance, with the exception of:
- False teeth (Politikaner; CC BY-SA 3.0 )
- Bikes (Fredrik Rubensson; CC BY-SA 2.0 )
- Wheelchair (George Hodan ; CC BY 4.0 )