Every day, an average of 16 objects are forgotten in Metrovalencia‘s carriages. In total, in 2024 Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) collected 5,895 lost objects on Valencia’s metro and streetcar lines.
From wallets and keys to such unusual items as a sack of cement or a vacuum cleaner, the inventory of losses and finds never ceases to amaze.
In addition to the usual, bicycles, suitcases, insulin, uniforms, safety boots, computers, winning lottery, motorcycle helmets, vinyl, and even a sack of cement have appeared on Metrovalencia platforms. All this is part of the peculiar and surprising archive of lost objects that the FGV customer service team manages every year.
What gets lost the most in the Valencia metro?
The ranking of lost objects is headed by documents such as ID cards (768), followed by wallets and purses (658), keys (496), backpacks (445) and glasses (284). There were also cell phones (261), official cards and IDs (265) and even umbrellas (64).
However, according to FGV, the nature of the lost objects varies according to the time of year: in December and January bank cards abound due to Christmas shopping; in March, during the Fallas, almost anything is lost; May brings sunglasses, and in October umbrellas and gloves accumulate.
When do people lose the most items?
March, the Fallas period and a period of great affleuncia in the metro, leads with 709 lost objects, followed by February (595) and January (584).
At the other extreme, the last month of November registered only 60 objects due to the service cut due to the dana that hit Valencia on October 29th.
How can they be recovered?
FGV has detailed in a statement the protocol it follows for the custody and management of objects. Initially, they are kept for a month in the stations with Espai del Client (Colón, Xàtiva and Alacant), the Customer Service Center in Benimaclet, and the Punt del Client (Àngel Guimerà, Empalme and Mislata).
Then they are moved -currently to Colón due to the floods in València Sud- for one more month. After this period, if no one claims them, they are handed over to the Local Police of Valencia.
Thanks to these procedures, almost 30% of the objects are recovered by their owners, a figure that in 2024 amounted to 1,745 items. In cases with identifying elements, the objects can even be collected on the same day of the loss. Official documents are quickly handed over to the police, and bank cards are destroyed for security.
What happens if no one claims them? Items in poor condition are recycled, while others are donated to charitable causes. FGV currently collaborates with the NGO Hearts of Africa, to which it delivers clothes, books, crutches and toys, among other useful items.