Lost Property on trains

Sat 17 Jan 2009, 17:40

Our daughter left her violin on a train, last month. Thankfully it was found, after much effort by my wife Alison to track it down. She says: "I am now an expert in the complex First Great Western lost property system. Lost property is taken off a train, usually when it is cleaned. FGW tell you that it will be 'returned to the station from which the train started' but National Rail Enquiries do not know where that was, so you need to try to work that out for yourself, and 'started' can be ambiguous. There is a lost property department at Oxford but it cannot be contacted except in person! I called there on Monday afternoon and discovered that the violin had been there overnight but on Mondays and Thursdays all lost property is sent to Bristol Temple Meads at 11am and there each item is given a reference number. These numbers are available 30 mins after lost property at Bristol shuts via First Great Western's lost property help line which is a call centre somewhere else in the country. Property must then be collected in person from Bristol on presentation of the correct reference number. Luckily for us, Lost Property at Oxford managed to intercept the violin at Didcot and arrange for its return next day to Oxford where I collected it. I really appreciated their efforts ,and it saved me the cost of a trip to Bristol. Unless your property is very valuable it is probably easier to give up!The correct telephone nmber for lost property is in the timetable but if you leave your property on a different company's trains then I guess there would be yet another system. Our daughter also lost her iPod and phone on buses in the same week, so I am familiar with bus companies' systems too!"

Wed 14 Jan 2009, 19:23

If it was on the Cotswold line in the direction of Worcester, try ring Shrub Hill, Midland Trains left luggage. They tend not to pass it onto FGW. The other option is Bristol Temple Meads FGW lost property depot.

Hope that helps

Wed 14 Jan 2009, 16:29

Thanks Ian - will pass the information on.

Wed 14 Jan 2009, 15:37

Personally, I'd go to the nearest main station to where the item was lost, sooner rather than later. The last time I left a bag on the train it ended up sitting in the guards' office at Reading station waiting to be shipped to the central lost property office (FGW's is in Plymouth, I think).

If it is FGW, you could try here for contact nubers:

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=115

They do point out that it takes a few days to reach them so keep on trying!

Wed 14 Jan 2009, 13:42

I wonder if anyone can help. A friend of mine left a bag on a train a couple of days ago, and is having alot of hassle trying to find just the right person to talk to. If anyone knows the telephone number or email address, please do let me know. Thanks