No extra money for cheaper train tickets; 12% price hike expected next year
The government will not allocate any money to dampen the increase in NS ticket prices next year, State Secretary Chris Jansen (Public Transport) reported to parliament. He expects NS fares will increase by approximately 12 percent next year, RTL Nieuws reported.
For this year, the government and NS both paid 3 percentage points of the price increase to dampen the hike. A a result, train tickets became 6 percent, not 12 percent, more expensive.
The government contribution, an amount of 42 million euros, was a once-off amount. For a structural solution, Jansen considered taking money from the Mobility Fund, intended for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure. But taking money from that pot could result in projects being scrapped. “The government is not opting for this,” he informed parliament.
The State Secretary said that he was still in discussions with NS about the rail company dampening the price increase from its own pocket. According to Jansen, NS is looking at two options - spreading the rate increase over several years, or limiting the service on “quiet routes.” Jansen is looking into whether this would be legally possible within the NS concession.
NS finds the government’s decision not to contribute to limiting rising train fares “disappointing for train passengers,” a spokesperson for the rail company told RTL Nieuws. “In the coming period, it must become clearer what this means for the affordability of public transport.”
