The rail company NS has launched an online lost and found platform for people seeking to be reunited with items they have accidentally left behind on the train. 

New NS lost and found platform speeds up lost property claims

Up until now, if you lost something on an NS train, you had to fill out an online form to request that an NS employee search for the item in question at the depot. That’s all changing now, however, with a brand new online platform where users can search through photos to find their lost items. 

Via the new Gevonden Voorwerpen platform, NS will upload images of all lost items found on its trains (excluding things like bank cards driving licences and other official documents). Anyone seeking a lost item can then perform a search, narrowing it down by the item type and the date of loss (if known), and look through photos in the hope of finding their stuff.

If you do find your lost property, you can hit a button to let NS know. You’ll need to provide as much information as possible (e.g. about the item, and where you lost it) so that NS can be sure you are the real owner. If approved, you’ll get an email (the aim is within 24 hours) saying that you can collect the item or have it sent to you in the post for a fee of 15 euros. 

The site was launched earlier this week, and so far the results have been positive. Company spokesperson Pauline Bron told RTL that in the first few days, 680 items were uploaded onto the site, and 83 were claimed by their owners. 

Thousands of items left on Dutch trains each year

If you have an urgent lost property request, you can still call NS customer service. "For example, if you have left your thesis behind and you need it the next day, we can ensure that it is handled quickly,” Bron said. 

Last year, NS collected some 62.000 items in its central lost property depot in Utrecht, from laptops and mobile phones to teddies and items of clothing. According to NS, the most lost items are (in order), keys, bags and suitcases, coats, headphones and earpods, and wallets.

Some of the more interesting items that were found on NS trains last year include a shuffleboard, a garden furniture set, a coffee machine and a dog crate.