NS called to create more room for bikes on trains

There are far too few spaces for bicycles on the train to keep up with the growing number of public transit users that travel with their bikes, according to cyclists' union Fietsersbond and travelers' association Rover. They call on NS to take measures, especially now that cycling is increasingly being encouraged, the Telegraaf reports.

According to Fietsersbond, the number of travelers who want to take their bicycle on the train is growing by 10 to 20 percent per year. There is already a shortage of thousands of spaces to park bicycles in trains, director Saskia Kluit said to the newspaper. "On beautiful cycling days in particular, it is doom and gloom and often families or groups of cyclists have to stay behind on the platforms. We advocate for separate, single-story bicycle wagons on railway lines to popular recreational areas."

"The irritations are increasing hand in hand. Not only with cyclists, but also with conductors who are told off when they have to prevent dangerous situations on the balconies. We are receiving an increasing number of complaints about this bottleneck", Rover director Freek Bos said to the newspaper.

NS agrees that structural solutions are needed for transporting bicycles by train. "We are therefore going to investigate the possibilities, in consultation with Rover and the Fietsersbond. We will also ask our travelers for ideas", a spokesperson said.

NS CEO Roger van Boxtel told the Telegraaf that NS will take more account of bicycles, wheelchairs, and flexible seating, working and hanging places in the new generation of intercity trains, set to enter the timetable between 2021 and 2023.