Those who regularly travel by train, whether it is to commute or to travel, will know that not forgetting anything when you get off can be quite the challenge. British railway company Northern has made a list reviewing not only the most often forgotten items but also the weirdest ones.
According to Northern’s research, 32,690 cases of lost property have been recorded aboard its trains since July 2022. Many of the reports concern mobile phones and laptops, which seem to be the most popular items to lose aboard a train. As far as popular stations go, Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly stations seem to be lost property hotspots for the company and its travellers.
However, Northern also had a look at the most requests from people who left an item behind, and those are certainly remarkable. One passenger left their bike on the train while they were still wearing a helmet, while another one asked Northern to find a plain white handkerchief they had lost.
The oddest objects too are a piece of art, each in their own way. Someone forgot a cupboard, and another passenger their crutches. One traveller lost an ironing board and a very unlucky person forgot a 10-kilogram box of chicken breast. Moreover, search requests also came in about a wig, a prosthetic leg and a hamster without a cage.
All kidding aside, the train operator is now appealing to customers to check they have all their personal belongings with them before leaving the train.
“We understand that losing something can be extremely stressful so we often remind customers to make sure they have all of their personal belongings before leaving the train”, Northern’s commercial and customer director, Alex Hornby, said in a statement. “Unattended bags on our trains and at our stations can also prompt security alerts which cause delays and disruption. When a passenger comes forward to report lost property our staff work hard to track down that item and reunite them – but it’s no mean feat.”
If, despite the good advice from Northern, you have left something on one of their trains, the railway company has a dedicated page on their website to try and track down the item.
