Hello, I just wanted to warn people that Swiss trains are not as safe as might be expected. Recently people I personally know have lost suitcases and notebooks on the train through a number of tricks, and yesterday I lost my wallet and phone.
I was sitting in the restaurant car, with my coat on the back of my chair. I noticed that someone else at an adjoining table had pushed their chair back towards mine, but thought nothing of it. That is until I went check put on my coat and check my wallet and coat when leaving the train. Unfortunately just as I noticed it was missing, and concluded it must have been stolen rather than merely misplaced the train had stopped and the thief dissapeared.
Talking to the police later, it turns out this is extremely common as indeed are other thefts from the train, such as notebooks, bags etc. Sounds stupid, but I always thought Swiss trains were relatively safe despite stories I have heard to the contrary.
So please be careful on the train - its not easy replacing wallets and their contents, and mobile phones - and most importantly this particular event completely messed up a romantic day out with my wife. If only to get my hands on the &%%*&& thief
Patrious
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I think that Swiss trains are in fact quite safe, but it's easy to feel too safe and let our guard down.
Also be careful in train cars with windows that open. A friend of mine was waiting to leave in the Geneva airport station when a thief grabbed his backpack right through the window. He found a cop within a minute but there was nothing to do but file a report.
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sorry to hear that. we should be careful in the train even one of my manger lost his business laptop and passports of his entire family on his first trip to Swiss. And police said its quite common especially from Geneva airport to Nyon. We got few communications from the company HR saying that we should be careful to avoid the thefts. Sometimes theives come in groups and some guys confuse you with their attitude and other do the rest of work.
It's mostly Albanians or Gypsies who are into that. Some Kosovars tried to steal my G-parents lagguage at the Zurich airport trainstation. We cought them literally by the hand, but the airport personnel refused to get involved... probably because they looked just like the perps themselves.
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A while back I went to the Montreaux Jazz festival with some friends. As it was somewhat spontaneous, we did not have any accommodation booked. At about 11:30 it was crunch time, where we had to decide whether to take the last train or the first train back.
My friends decided to get the last one, but as I had other friends there, and was having such a great time, I decided to get the first one after 5am.
I upgraded to first class as i wanted to have a schnooze, and there were a fair few drunk people. So I had a 6 person carriage to myself. It had those tables in the middle. I had a sleep, and had my head near the window, and my small backpack near my head.
About 45 minutes out of Zurich someone came and sat in my carriage. I think he was cussing out to see if I was properly asleep. When I awoke at the next station, I realised that he had taken my bag. I jumped up, ran out of the train and saw him walking casually down the platform.
So I snuck up on him (as an alternative to yelling from the other end of the platform, where he surely would have ran), and I yelled at him when I was about 1 meter away. Scared the sh!t out of the little prick, and he dropped the bag...
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I resemble that remark.
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A while back I went to the Montreaux Jazz festival with some friends. As it was somewhat spontaneous, we did not have any accommodation booked. At about 11:30 it was crunch time, where we had to decide whether to take the last train or the first train back.
My friends decided to get the last one, but as I had other friends there, and was having such a great time, I decided to get the first one after 5am.
I upgraded to first class as i wanted to have a schnooze, and there were a fair few drunk people. So I had a 6 person carriage to myself. It had those tables in the middle. I had a sleep, and had my head near the window, and my small backpack near my head.
About 45 minutes out of Zurich someone came and sat in my carriage. I think he was cussing out to see if I was properly asleep. When I awoke at the next station, I realised that he had taken my bag. I jumped up, ran out of the train and saw him walking casually down the platform.
So I snuck up on him (as an alternative to yelling from the other end of the platform, where he surely would have ran), and I yelled at him when I was about 1 meter away. Scared the sh!t out of the little prick, and he dropped the bag...
The sight of a 2 meter tall Australian Amazon must have been priceless.
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The Geneva-Lausanne-Vevey-Montreux and all stations to Brig train has become notorious for thefts. It's been bad for a few years now and the authorities haven't been able to stop it despite putting security guards on some trains.
I always feel so safe in Switzerland and it is easy to let your guard down. But I think just like any city, public transportation is always the easiest place for pickpockets. I'll be sure to keep my valuables close to me from now on when riding on trains.
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I use the train to commute every day and take the Zurich to Lugano line. So far I seem to have avoided being the victim of mindless pickpockets (either I am security conscious or I look like I am not worth bothering about - uncool phone, cheap make of MP3 player...).
Having said that, I find it quite common for people to leave their belongings unattended on trains while they go to the toilet or go and get a coffee from the buffet carriage.
Sometimes I or someone else nearby is asked if an eye can be kept on their handbag/rucksack but, more often than not, they just leave it on their seat and disappear for 5 minutes.
Maybe a theft is less likely to occur on an inter-regional train because it doesn't stop often enough for a thief to leave the train promptly but even so, leaving your stuff like that is pretty risky.
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It's mostly Albanians or Gypsies who are into that. Some Kosovars tried to steal my G-parents lagguage at the Zurich airport trainstation. We cought them literally by the hand, but the airport personnel refused to get involved... probably because they looked just like the perps themselves.
Nah, it's mostly Russians. It's how they manage to afford Massers.
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My wife used to commute to zurich every week. She saw thiefts just about every week. She said she saw the same people involved, and when she saw them on the train, she would alert people, but they would just get off to attack another car. She would watch them go from car to car. She said they acted like it was their job.
Especially from Zurich to bern or bern to zurich, the trains are very full. So the luggage area is full, and people put luggage in the middle area. Thieves would get on, and just as doors were about to close jump off with a suitcase. Would suggest you never leave luggage in the area for it near exit on a full train. You can not even get to it even if you see someone steal it, since the car is packed and people are standing.
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The Cisalpino is rotten for this, particularly on the Italian side after Milan. Should you be on a long trip, take your stuff to the restaurant car. Don't rely on someone else: you can't expect someone to be on full alert while you're off eating spaghetti. The guard can be tipped, and he'll keep your bags in his office
Also, hanging your coat on the hook right next to where you're sitting makes you think you're on top of things. Check out next time how easy it is to finger someone else's stuff if sitting behind them.
the one off central is notorious for thieves - i think maybe as it's a studenty/study place, so alot of bags, laptops, coats and people letting down their guard when head in books etc
(i have three friends who've had stuff nicked there)
I was sitting in the restaurant car, with my coat on the back of my chair. I noticed that someone else at an adjoining table had pushed their chair back towards mine, but thought nothing of it. That is until I went check put on my coat and check my wallet and coat when leaving the train. Unfortunately just as I noticed it was missing, and concluded it must have been stolen rather than merely misplaced the train had stopped and the thief dissapeared.
Similar thing happened to a colleague of mine in the work's canteen. Novartis security didn't seem bothered - "Happens regularly. There's nothing we can do."
Watch your goodies. It's not as safe as you think it is out there.
the one off central is notorious for thieves - i think maybe as it's a studenty/study place, so alot of bags, laptops, coats and people letting down their guard when head in books etc
(i have three friends who've had stuff nicked there)
I thought UM was talking about the prices...
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