Fridge and double bass among lost property on Belgian trains

A fridge, a wedding suit and a double bass were among the items left behind on trains and in stations last year, the SNCB has revealed.

The Belgian rail operator handles tens of thousands of items of lost property each year - and while bags and suitcases are the most commonly left behind, there are plenty of weird and wonderful forgotten objects.

"One day we found a groom's wedding suit," an SNCB employee told RTBF. "It had been left behind on the platform. We managed to identify the owner and return the suit with three days to spare before the wedding."

Among the other items left behind in 2021 were a cello, a wheelchair, a satellite dish, a graduate thesis and a bar for pole dancing.

Every item of lost property is recorded in a database and stored in a locker for seven days. During this time, owners can pick up their forgotten object free of charge. First they must fill in a form on the SNCB website with a complete description of the item, and where it was lost.

Once a week has passed, the items are moved to a warehouse, and anyone claiming their lost object is required to pay a €5 service charge. If an item is not claimed within 50 days, it is donated to Les Petits Riens for sale.

An SNCB spokeswoman said about half of lost property is successfully returned to its owner. In the case of wallets, which usually contain ID and bank cards with the person's name, the success rate is 80%.

Photo: Olivier Papegnies/Belga