Eighties revival on the rails as NS gears up for record passenger numbers
![A DDM1 double decker train.](http://www.dutchnews.nl/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/DDM_stuurstand-560x420.jpeg)
Train operator NS has brought 11 double-decker trains back into service as it expects to carry record numbers of passengers this autumn.
The trains were part of the first fleet of two-deck trains to run on the Dutch rail network in the 1980s and were last used five years ago.
NS anticipates a record 33.3 million passengers will travel by train in September – 700,000 more than last year – as the economy grows, unemployment falls and students go back to university.
The 11 trains with their 44 carriages will boost the rail operator’s capacity by around 8,700 seats. NS has also created extra seating by converting some first class carriages to second class and adding ‘pit stops’ to the schedule so trains can run more frequently.
In December NS is introducing its new fleet of Sprinter trains with a total of 16,000 extra seats.
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