Dutch trains substitute plastic bags for bathrooms

liberal N proud

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Mon Oct-17-11 12:04 AM
Original message

Dutch trains substitute plastic bags for bathrooms

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.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44815084/ns/travel-news/

Must have gotten the idea from Ryan Airways.

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Warpy

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Mon Oct-17-11 12:22 AM
Response to Original message

1. "Short haul?"

It's a tiny country. I can't imagine a short haul being much longer than an hour, tops, about what it took for me to get to work on the Boston subway system. There were no toilets on those trains and none in the stations.

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SwissTony

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Mon Oct-17-11 06:10 AM
Response to Reply #1

6. That's about right.

I used to catch the sprinter from Rotterdam Centraal to Amsterdam Holendrecht (south-western area of Amsterdam) and it took about an hour. Lots of stops at small stations. If I was going to Amsterdam Centraal, I'd catch the intercity.

Can't remember if the old sprinters had loos. Maybe I just never used them. None of the small stations had them either.

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saras

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Mon Oct-17-11 01:18 AM
Response to Original message

2. Like this, but without the cardboard box

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uppityperson

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Mon Oct-17-11 01:24 AM
Response to Original message

3. sounds like gel diapers.

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Xithras

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Mon Oct-17-11 01:25 AM
Response to Original message

4. Apparently these are more like subway/light rail trains.

They're electric trains with two or three cars used for intracity travel. I wouldn't think that a lack of toilets would be a problem on a system like that.

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sfpcjock

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Mon Oct-17-11 02:18 AM
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5. I went in a plastic bowl once. Oy!

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pipi_k

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Mon Oct-17-11 08:15 AM
Response to Reply #5

9. Me too...plus...

Plastic and paper cups, a glass pickle jar (empty, about to be discarded), a pail, and a cat's litter box, as well as other things.

I've always had bladder issues, even from childhood...have peed myself quite a few times. Stress will affect my bladder to the point where I have to go every 15 to 20 minutes :(

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Codeine

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Mon Oct-17-11 06:53 AM
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7. It's light rail for commuting. Since when do they need bathrooms?

Jeez, people -- learn to hold your wee.

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pipi_k

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Mon Oct-17-11 08:08 AM
Response to Reply #7

8. There are certain conditions

that make it downright painful to "hold your wee".

Like Interstitial Cystitis.

The "normal" bladder can hold up to 2 cups of urine. People with IC have bladders that can only hold a fraction. My limit is 4 oz. before I start getting pain. It's not just a full bladder...it is actual pain.

Information on IC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstitial_Cystitis

Also, people who are prone to UTI's are told NOT to "hold their wee", but to flush the bladder and go when they need to.

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