Türkiye’s TCDD Transport will auction unclaimed belongings left on trains after the legal storage period expires, according to a statement from the General Directorate of Turkish State Railways (TCDD) on Wednesday.
The auction will include items forgotten on high-speed trains (YHT), mainline and regional trains, as well as urban rail systems operated across Türkiye.
Forgotten belongings are identified during inspections carried out by conductors, attendants and cleaning personnel at final stations. Items found by passengers and handed over to railway staff are also officially recorded.
According to the TCDD, each item is documented with details such as the train, wagon and seat number, along with descriptions and distinguishing features, before being transferred to lost property offices.
Under current regulations, all nonperishable items are stored for one year. Belongings that remain unclaimed after that period are later offered for sale through public auction.
The auction will take place on May 20-22 in the waiting hall of the historic Ankara Train Station.
Lost items collected from the YHT, mainline and regional trains, as well as the Marmaray, Başkentray and Sirkeci-Kazlıçeşme rail lines, will be categorized and displayed for buyers.
Lists of the products will be published on the TCDD’s official website on May 14-15.
The sale will include electronics, mixed items, and clothing and textile categories.
Electronics available at the auction include phones, tablets, headphones and cameras, while the mixed items section features umbrellas, books, watches and kitchen utensils. Clean or unused clothing and textile products will also be sold.
According to TCDD data, glasses are the most frequently forgotten item on trains, with 1,066 recorded cases.
Other commonly forgotten belongings include 783 earbud charging cases, 545 chargers, 294 headphones and 78 umbrellas.
The railway operator also recorded more unusual forgotten items, including 21 blood sugar measurement devices, four canvases, four cooking pots, two Borcam glass baking dishes, one drone set and one kitchen blender.
