Dutch Rail research shows one in four train travellers have had eye contact or flirted with fellow passengers and now the state-owned firm is to help others do the same.

On Wednesday February 12, two days before Valentine’s Day, the NS has hired an expert to travel on the Amsterdam to Maastricht service and give four short courses in onboard flirtation techniques.

The coach, Esther Populier, says trains are an ideal place to practice flirting. ‘You’ve got a lot of practice material because you travel with so many people,’ she says.

The lessons will take place in a special ‘social carriage‘.

Some 3% of the people questioned for the survey have had a romance with a fellow traveller, NS said.

There is even a special website in the Netherlands where people can try to get in touch with passengers they have made contact with. Utrecht central station is by far the most popular place to meet someone interesting, the website shows.