Dutch to rail riders: Gotta go? Use this bag

AFP/Getty Images

AMSTERDAM - The Dutch national railway has an unusual solution for passengers who need the bathroom on a train line designed without them: plastic bags.

The rail operator underlined that the bags, introduced Friday, are for use in emergencies only, when a train has stopped and passengers can't be evacuated. The idea has been met with incredulity by politicians and the general public already unhappy with the short-haul "Sprinter" trains' bathroomless design.

NS spokesman Eric Trinthamer confirmed Friday the "pee-bag" plan is not a joke. The bags are kept out of sight in the conductor's booth.

The bags have a cup-shaped plastic top and contain a highly absorbent material that turns urine into a gel-like mixture. After use the bags can be sealed and thrown in the trash.

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[rwsmith29456]

That sounds like an American idea. Totally unrealistic. If they need a bathroom they should bring their own.

[magnumdr]

That's just to gross.

[Jaylah54]

If buses have been designed with a bathroom for decades, why is it so impossible to include a bathroom on a train..."Sprinter" or not?

[Transatlantique]

That takes care of the first one, but what about the second?

[636anton33]

Just make depends required train wear!