When they lose train of thought. And belongings

When they lose train of thought. And belongings 

27.10.2026 TIMES DELHI

New Delhi: A phone forgotten on a train seat, a pair of shoes left behind in a hurry, a lunch box abandoned in a coach or a laptop misplaced while changing trains — small oversights of railway travel are adding up to a growing stream of calls for help. 

In a rush to get on or off trains, passengers often leave behind everyday essentials, sometimes realising their mistake only after a train has departed or they have reached their destinations. Railway Protection Force (RPF), Delhi division, received 12,232 calls concerning missing objects or items left behind between Jan and May 2026, nearly 54% more than 7,922 calls during the same period last year. 

The items most commonly left behind on trains and at railway stations include mobile phone chargers, goggles, shoes, bags, earphones and laptops. 

According to an RPF officer, such incidents often occur because passengers are in a hurry or are preoccupied with managing their luggage. Those carrying several bags may find it difficult to keep track of every item, particularly while changing trains, moving between coaches or preparing to get off at their destinations. “Passengers often carry three to four pieces of luggage, and in the rush, they may leave some of their belongings on upper berths. They sometimes keep bags or other items aside while settling down for the journey and forget to pick them up while getting off a train,” the officer said.

Explaining why footwear and electronic devices are among the items passengers frequently forget, the officer said many remove their shoes and switch to slippers during their journeys, but sometimes leave the shoes behind while deboarding. Similarly, passengers who charge their mobile phones may forget to unplug their chargers from the sockets. As more people seek help, the number of items retrieved has gone up. 

RPF recovered 3,157 belongings in the first five months of this year, compared with 2,204 in the corresponding period of 2025, an increase of around 43%. In many cases, such objects are handed over to their owners. Ashutosh Pandey, senior divisional security commissioner of RPF, Delhi division, said that the force deploys staff round the clock to respond to complaints from passengers who  misplace their belongings. As soon as a complaint is received on the helpline, a staffer checks the train’s location and identifies the nearest RPF personnel who are alerted. 

The personnel then search a seat, berth or coach to see whether the missing item is still there. The force also coordinates with coach attendants, who check a compartment, particularly when a train has a long halt at a station