Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station embraces a surge in travelers as the summer travel rush begins.
The railways are reporting a jump in cases of lost belongings.
With the start of summer vacation, railways around China are reporting a jump in cases of lost belongings. The lost-and-found office at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station is already chock-a-block with over 1,000 items being deposited each day.
The lost-and-found office is usually at the center of the station or in the lobby. When passengers pick up someone else's possessions, they can give them to the station attendant, who hands them over to the lost-and-found office.
The lost-and-found office at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station
The railway station service counter
If travelers lose their belongings, they can seek help from station staff, who will guide them to the lost-and-found section.
An office staffer files the item's information.
Lost-and-found office staff at work
The office will file a report including the item's name, color, brand and other information. Once found, it is kept safe in the office's storage room until the passenger return and pick it up. The train station also offers postal services for those who can't retrieve them in person.
If the missing item is not claimed within 180 days, the lost-and-found office hands it over to public security authorities.
A lost-and-found office worker holds a sign that reads, "While you are on vacation, I am at work."
If you lose your items at Shanghai's railway stations, you can:
Option 1: Seek help from station staff
Ask the station staff for assistance as soon as possible. Give a detailed description (specifics of the lost item, including where it was misplaced). After finding the lost package, they will confirm the item's details with you and make an arrangement for you to pick it up.
Option 2: Dial 12306
Dial 12306 and press 2 for English service. Give a detailed description of the lost property (specifics of the lost item, including where it was misplaced). Once found, they will confirm the item's details with you and arrange for a time to pick it up.
The 12306 mobile phone application does not have online registration for lost-and-found items. Only Chinese ID card users can use this feature.
Operators of Shanghai Railways' hotline 12306 are at work.
The lost items are kept in the storage room of the lost-and-found office at the railway station.