A few days ago, reporters learned from China Railway Harbin Bureau Group Co., Ltd. that as an important railway hub in the Northeast region, Harbin Railway Station and trains pick up a large number of passengers' lost items every year, covering documents, electronic products, cash, luggage and other items. During the Spring Festival travel period, Harbin Station alone picks up hundreds of items lost by passengers every day on average. Although the staff worked hard to find and return them, some items were still stranded for a long time due to incomplete information. Railway staff said that these methods will help passengers find their lost items.
According to official statistics from Harbin Railway, at major stations such as Harbin Station, Harbin West Station, and Qiqihar Station, dozens of lost items are picked up every day. During peak passenger flow periods such as Spring Festival, Summer Transport, and holidays, the number of items picked up in a single day surges to hundreds. Taking the 2026 Spring Festival as an example, the Harbin Railway Public Security Department recovered more than 2,100 items of lost property for passengers, saving nearly 1.4 million yuan in economic losses.
In terms of types of lost items, ID cards, bank cards and other documents accounted for the highest proportion, accounting for almost 30% of the total; followed by electronic products such as mobile phones, headphones, and computers, as well as daily necessities such as backpacks, suitcases, and clothing. Valuable items such as cash, jewelry, and important documents also appeared from time to time. Most of these items are left behind in waiting room seats, security checkpoints, train seats, sleeper berths, toilets, luggage racks and other areas. These items are often caused by passengers rushing to catch the train, focusing on their mobile phones, or having too much luggage and neglecting to check it.
There is no need to panic after items are lost. Harbin Railway has established an online and offline linkage lost item search and return system.
Online, passengers can log in to the railway 12306 APP and submit information through the "My – Warm Service – Lost Items" function;
You can also call the 12306 customer service hotline to clearly explain the train number, time, seats and item characteristics. Offline, you can go to the station service desk, lost and found office, or ask the nearest staff for help.
All found items will be strictly registered, entered into the system, affixed with unique labels and properly kept. ID cards and other documents will be registered in the 12306 system, and passengers with reserved information can receive SMS notifications for collection. Once found, the items can be handed over to the station ahead by train, etc., so that passengers can collect them nearby. They can retrieve them after verifying that the information is correct and signing.
The railway department hereby reminds passengers: Be sure to take care of your belongings when traveling and carry valuables with you; do not indulge in mobile phones while riding or waiting; carefully check around the seats, bunks, luggage racks and pockets before leaving your seat and getting off the train; mark them when carrying multiple pieces of luggage to avoid taking them by mistake.
