SNCB gave lost jewels to charity despite owners’ identity being known

Two travellers who lost a bag containing passports, driving licences and jewellery on a Belgian train were unable to recover their valuables because Belgian railway operator SNCB donated them to charity, even though they could have traced the identity of the travellers through the documents in the bag.

Their complaint was just one of the many handled last year by Ombudsrail, the ombudsman service for train travellers.

In the case of the two Surinamese travellers who lost a bag of jewellery, it appeared that their lost property report at Brussels-North station could not be linked to the find at Brussels-Midi station because the description did not match: one was a silver backpack, the other a grey one.

When the SNCB closed the case after 50 days, the documents were sent to the embassy and the rest went to the Petits Riens charity.

“The owners were never contacted, even though their identity was known,” the newly published annual report of Ombudsrail reads.

SNCB maintains its position that "the procedure was followed and travellers should pay more attention to their belongings".

But the ombudsman's office believes SNCB should make "reasonable efforts" to return lost property: “That doesn’t mean blindly following procedures, but actively searching for owners. Internal rules that prevent this must be amended.”

SNCB emphasises that station staff always do everything they can to find the owner of a lost item.

“The necessary efforts were also made in the case of the backpack in question, we therefore regret that it was not ultimately successful,” the railway operator said in its response.

In 2024, 40,000 objects were lost on trains and in stations and in 64% of the cases, the owner could be traced.

“It’s only when the owner has not been found after 50 days or when no traveller has claimed the object that it is donated to Les Petits Riens,” the policy states.

Ombudsrail was contacted 4,154 times last year, which is 7.6% more than in 2023.

Some 1,089 cases were opened, accounting for 2,334 complaints, as one case can contain several complaints.

Together with even older complaints, a total of about 3,400 complaints were handled. Two out of three complaints concerned national rail traffic.

Ombudsrail noted that the number of complaints about the timetable had doubled. Train passengers complained about delays and missed connections, with problems that, according to the ombudsman's office, are "structural" on lines such as Dendermonde-Brussels.

There were also complaints regarding longer travel times and worse connections after the introduction of a new timetable.

Ombudsrail emphasised a problem with the administration of fines against travellers: “These are intended as sanctions for clear offences, such as not following safety regulations or travelling without a valid ticket. In practice, however, we see that fines are also imposed in questionable situations.”

The ombudsman's office is once again advocating that any legal action taken against fined passengers - such as a bailiff being called - should not be allowed while its own investigation is ongoing.

But of the 40 recommendations Ombudsrail formulated last year, only four were (partially) acted upon. The others were rejected.

“Our focus remains on more customer-friendly and efficient rail transport,” said ombudsman Cynthia Van der Linden.

“We call on SNCB to improve communication, guarantee fair compensation and offer a reliable service. In addition, we ask the authorities to ensure that travellers have easy access to out-of-court dispute resolution, especially in the case of administrative fines.”

SNCB said that it “wants everyone to be able to take the train as easily as possible and in the best conditions,” a spokesperson said in response.

“If our passengers have encountered difficulties for whatever reason, it is our job to help and guide them as best we can through our customer service.”