The RATP wants reduce the number of pieces of luggage forgotten in metro and RER trains. To strike a chord and raise travellers’ awareness, it is launching a series of actions. The most original is certainly the installation of a giant red bag near certain stations.
A giant red bag to raise awareness among travelers
To reduce the number of pieces of luggage forgotten in RATP trains, Île-de-France Mobilités, which manages transport in our region, has decided to make an impression.
A 3.5 meter giant red bag is installed at Auber station until June 9th. It will then be moved and placed on the forecourt of Denfert-Rochereau station from June 16 to 23.
The imposing size of this bag and its color have for “objective to symbolize the extent of the inconvenience caused by forgetting luggage in a train“, explains the RATP.
Two other actions carried out in parallel
A poster campaign starts on the network. More than 6,000 humorous stickers are affixed in the spaces and on the windows of the metros and the RER A and B lines in order to attract the attention of all travelers so that they no longer forget their bags.
– RATP
Of the entertainment and information stands will be installed in Auber and Denfert-Rochereau but also on all the other metro and RER lines in June.
Of the RATP agents accompanied by a cyno-detection of explosives crew will be present to explain travelers what reflexes to adopt in case of forgetting luggage. They will give travelers supports to stick on their mobile phones to know the procedure to follow in case of forgetting luggage. If you forget, a quick reaction can limit traffic interruptions, underlines the RATP.
What should be done in case of forgotten luggage?
To limit the impact of forgotten luggage on traffic, there is a very simple thing to do. As soon as you realize that you have left your bag in the train, you have to report it quickly to an agent by a call terminal or by 3117. This will speed up the procedure.
“1 forgotten bag = 1 hour of traffic disruption on average”
Every day, an average of nearly 4 pieces of abandoned luggage are detected on the rail networks. Abandoned baggage has a significant impact on traffic : “1 forgotten bag = 1 hour of traffic disruption on average”, explains the RATP.
Officers must apply a procedure :
- a security perimeter is set up and announcements are broadcast while the owner of the luggage is sought.
- a team with an explosive detection dog arrives on the scene.
- if there is no danger, the bag is listed as a lost object, otherwise the police are called to the scene.
The train will only leave once all the checks have been made, which therefore takes about an hour, as a general rule.
The number of forgotten bags is on the rise
It is an alarming finding that prompted the RATP to react. The nnumber of pieces of luggage left behind in trains increased by +23% in 2021, announces the RATP in a press release issued this Friday. And the trend has been confirmed since the start of 2022, with an increase of +16% recorded between January and April 2022 across the entire network.