Solution demanded for overcrowded trains as thousands file for refunds

Some 5 thousand people submitted complaints and demands for refunds with claim company ConsumentenClaim about overcrowded NS trains. Infrastructure State Secretary Sharon Dijksma demanded that NS comes up with a solution to solve this problem before Christmas. "This is a NS problem and they must solve it", Dijksma said on television program WNL Op Zondag. "I can not give them much time. A solution must be on the table before Christmas. The traveler needs to know where he stands." ConsumentenClaim director Stef Smit told RTL that the claim company received 3,750 reports in one day, and that the number is only increasing. The claim company intends to file a claim with NS. According to Smit, many rail passengers have to travel standing during rush hour, while NS is obliged to offer each traveler a seat. The claim will be filed on behalf of the passengers who are inconvenienced by the overcrowded trains. A spokesperson for NS told broadcaster NOS that the rail company will soon give State Secretary Dijksma a list of possible solutions. Until then NS will not provide substantive details. Last week travelers organization Rover reported receiving a record number of complaints about overcrowded trains in November. Some 3,600 travelers complained about having to pay high traveling fees and then being faced with a shortage of seats. The crowded trains can partly be attributed to the high number of cancelled trains due to infrastructure problems.