I recently had my luggage stolen from the luggage racks on the Eurostar train from London to Brussels. The Belgian police told me it was a big problem on that service however Eurostar - who have been shockingly unhelpful - naturally refute there is an issue. Since they don't have any incident reporting procedures they admit they cannot tell the extent of the problem. There is no security at Lille station so the thieves make off with the luggage when the train stops there. This does rather beg the question of why passengers have to go though baggage screening at London if anyone can jump on or off the train at Lille without being checked.... Please ensure you keep an eye on your luggage at all times as I don't want anyone else suffering the severe financial loss and inconvenience I've had to go through.

Welcome to fodors. You will reach more reader's on the Europe board.

I am sorry to hear about your loss, although I have ridden MANY European trains without losing anything (but my luggage doesn't look very interesting, and everything of value is with me at my seat).

On ANY train where you have luggage out of your sight, you will encounter theft. I see no reason to think the Eurostar is unique in this regard or more prone to it happening, than on any other train.

<i>This does rather beg the question of why passengers have to go though baggage screening at London if anyone can jump on or off the train at Lille without being checked.</i>

No it doesn't.

I carry one of those bicycle locks with the heavy plastic covered cable and simply lock my case to the rack. That way I can travel easy without having to constantly check the luggage area.

This is also useful when in a hotel. There have been several times where I have been given a key to an already occupied room, so worry about someone wheeling my case away when I am out. I lock my case to the radiator or to a part of furniture that I can wind it around on. The laptop locks are also a great thing to consider. I know they sometimes get lifted on trains while you are in the toilet or at the buffett car.