Dutch railway company NS announced that the price of the train ticket will increase by 6 percent as of January 1, 2025.
This is the outcome of agreements between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and NS. The increase of 12 percent, which was previously assumed out of necessity, has been halved as a result.
“Going and standing where you want is a choice that millions of Dutch people have thanks to public transport. The social value of the train makes it important that this transport is well organised and affordable. With these agreements with the ministry, we keep the increase in the price of a train ticket, although considerable, within limits. This way, the most sustainable way of travelling remains affordable and accessible,” said Wouter Koolmees, CEO of NS.
In recent years, the price of the train ticket has only increased with the expected inflation. While the actual inflation in those years increased much faster. The development of the price of the train ticket has lagged considerably behind inflation. Due to the high inflation, the costs of NS grew much faster than the income. For that reason, the prices were to increase by 8.7 percent in 2024.
The government provided a one-off compensation of 120 million to postpone this price increase by one year. The price of the train ticket remained the same in 2024. In 2025, the increase of 8.7 percent would still come. Plus the regular increase of 2025 – more than 3 percent inflation – travelers would pay 12 percent more for a train ticket next year.
NS and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management agree that public transport must remain affordable. The postponed increase of 8.7 percent is now divided between the ministry, NS and the train passenger. For the passenger, this means that the price of the train ticket will increase by 6 percent (the regular increase + a third of the postponed increase of 2024).
NS will also pay a third, on top of the previously announced savings program. Although it cannot be prevented, NS is doing everything it can to ensure that the consequences have as little impact as possible on passengers and operations.
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