How to return things forgotten on the train if you got off at an intermediate station

1. Find out the name of the head of the station

Search on the Internet for the name and surname of the head of the station of the final destination where your train will arrive. A simple query like "the head of the railway station in Astrakhan" will help you. The press service of Russian Railways is quite active, so the heads of the stations are often mentioned in the information field.

2. Call the help desk

If it was not possible to establish the name and surname of the head of the station, it does not matter. Go to the Russian Railways website in the "Contacts" section and find the reference number for employees of JSC "Russian Railways". At the time of preparation of the material, the phone number is: +7 (499) 262-99-01.

Call and tell me that you need the telephone number of the chief of the station in such and such a city. The employee will switch you to the help desk for that region. There, specify the request again, and you will not only be informed of the number, but will also be prompted for the name, surname and patronymic of the head of the station, if you could not find this information on your own.

3. Find out the number of the mobile train master

And then your task is to make a series of polite short calls with the sole purpose of finding the telephone number of the head of the train on which you were traveling. My chain looked like this: the head of the station → the head of the federal passenger company → the head of the reserve of conductors.

And it was the head of the reserve who prompted me the coveted mobile. Although at the second link, to be honest, I almost lost hope, since the head of the FPK first said that she had nothing to do with forgotten things. It helped that I asked how to recognize the train commander's mobile, since I more or less understood the railway hierarchy.

4. Explain the situation

At each stage, I said the same short and succinct text: “Good afternoon. Is it convenient for you to talk? My name is Irina, I am a passenger on such and such a train, which is now going to Astrakhan. I got out at the intermediate station and forgot my luggage. Please help me to return it. And when I phoned the head of the train, I also said in which carriage and in what place I was traveling, and described what the luggage looks like.

5. Agree on how to return things

After you tell the head of the train the number of the carriage, the number of the seat and describe in detail the forgotten things, he will go and check if they are in place. And after that he will contact you. If things are in place, then ask him for help. Find out when the train will return and what time it will stop at your station so you can drive up and collect your luggage. I agreed that I would pick up my things at the opposite end point of the train, and not at the intermediate station.

6. Be polite

It is important to understand that every time you will talk with a person who owes you nothing. You are making a request because it is the responsibility of every passenger to keep track of your luggage. Remain courteous. Help with tips. Do not be afraid to ask for help and do not forget to then thank the head of the train, who saved you from serious bureaucratic red tape and a trip to some Barnaul, Khabarovsk, or, in my case, Astrakhan.