The NS will be offering free drinking water to travellers at all train stations to promote tap water consumption and limit plastic litter, the railway operator announced on its website.

NS will install water fountains at half of the Netherland’s 400 stations to begin with. This means that 90 percent of travellers will have access to tap water at some point on their journey before the end of 2019, NS said.

Installing and maintaining the fountains will cost €3m over the next ten years

‘It is our dream to have water fountains at every station’, NS director Roger van Boxtel said.

‘We will take a first step by installing fountains where we can do this ourselves at 200 stations. We hope we can count on the help of local councils and water companies. Together we can install water fountains at every station in the Netherlands.’

According to NS director of sustainability, Carola Wijdoogen, demand for free drinking water to fill up water bottles has been increasing.

‘We are hoping the fountains will reduce the amount of plastic waste,’ she said. ‘If that means less bottled water sold at stations, so be it. We think it’s more important to promote a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.’

The first water fountain will be installed at Alkmaar railway station before the end of the month.