Rush hour train tickets to be more expensive after next year; Timetable cuts expected

Commuters can expect more expensive train tickets for traveling in rush hour and more timetable cuts after 2024, RTL Nieuws reports based on a letter State Secretary Vivianne Heijenen of Infrastructure sent to parliament.

The government wants to give NS the concession to provide transport on the main rail network from 2025 to 2033. But rising costs and declining revenues are creating a “financial deficit that requires solutions,” the State Secretary said. Water and energy costs are higher, while hybrid working means fewer train commuters.

The government and NS are jointly looking for a solution to the financial shortfall. “And the traveler also has a role to play in this,” Heijnen wrote. Running fewer trains on quiet routes and charging travelers more for using the train in rush hour are potential solutions.

This year, NS will receive 45 million euros from the Ministry as a once-off transition safety net to deal with changing passenger demand. The Ministry may also scrap the fee NS pays for the current concession, amounting to about 80 million euros per year. The Ministry is also considering an annual subsidy of around 10 million euros per year, according to RTL.

Travelers’ Association Rover is outraged by the proposed measures. “A teacher cannot stand in front of the class later because the train has become unaffordable,” director Freek Bos told ANP about the proposed extra charge for rush hour. “The climate and housing tasks demand that traveling by train and bus should increase. Chasing travelers out of rush hours will cause the opposite.”

Bos is also against further cuts to the timetable. “Rover calls on the Cabinet to stop the demolition of public transport and to focus on growing train use.”