Dutch Railway NS Wants to Keep Bags Off Seats, Even on Quiet Trains
Dutch railway NS wants to change its rules so passengers can no longer put bags on an empty seat, even on a quiet train. Luggage should go on your lap or in the rack, and there will be no fines.
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The Dutch railway company NS wants to change the rules so that passengers can no longer place their bags on an empty seat beside them, even when the train is quiet. Instead, hand luggage would have to be kept on your lap or stowed in the luggage rack.
What would change
At the moment, putting a bag on a free seat is not against the rules, as long as the passenger removes it when someone else wants to sit there. NS now wants to tighten its conditions of carriage so that seats cannot be occupied by luggage at all, regardless of how busy the train is. The company set out the plan to the Locov, the national body where the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, rail manager ProRail, NS and consumer organisations discuss changes to public transport.
Why NS wants it
NS says blocked seats have become a growing source of frustration. According to the travellers’ association Rover, it ranks among passengers’ top three irritations. “People increasingly pretend not to notice how busy it is, by staring out of the window, for example,” said Rover director Daan Zieren.
The company also frames the change as a way to defuse awkward encounters. A bag left on a seat can come across as a signal that says “don’t sit here,” and NS says a growing number of passengers no longer dare to ask others to move their belongings, something it links to shorter tempers and rising aggression more generally. “We hear that people no longer dare to speak to one another,” a spokesperson said. “With this, we want to make sure travellers do not even have to ask for a bag to be removed, because the seat will already be free.”
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No fines, just nudges
NS has been clear that it does not intend to enforce the rule with fines or other penalties. Instead, conductors will remind passengers, and posters will go up in the trains. “This is only meant to take the discussion out of it,” the spokesperson said. “We want it to become the new normal that bags go on your lap or in the luggage rack.”
Rover supports the change but has asked NS to be clear about how it will be applied. Zieren said handing out fines would go too far, but expects raising awareness to work. He drew a comparison with the silent carriage: when it was introduced, people simply kept talking, until large stickers appeared on the windows and social pressure gradually did the rest. Now, he said, anyone chatting in a silent carriage can expect enough disapproving looks to make them stop.
Not a done deal yet
For now, this remains a proposal rather than a rule. As with any change of this kind, NS has to seek advice from the Locov, and if that body advises against it, the change may not go ahead.