Train travellers in the Netherlands face another sharp increase in fares next year, with ticket prices set to go up by between 6% and 9%, the infrastructure ministry told MPs in a briefing on Wednesday. The exact figure will be announced in the autumn.
Caretaker transport minister Thierry Aartsen said the government had tried to keep the rise as limited as possible. “We’ve done everything we can to contain the increase for passengers,” he said. “But we also need to be realistic: everything is becoming more expensive and public funds are not unlimited.”
Fares were originally set to rise by around 12%, but that figure has been scaled back after discussions between the state rail operator NS and the ministry.
Under the agreement, NS will cut costs by making train maintenance more efficient. The operator had already announced it would scrap the youth day pass as a cost-saving measure.
Recent price hikes have been postponed several times through one-off subsidies. In 2024, a planned 6.5% increase was deferred after MPs made €120 million available, and earlier this year a joint contribution of around €40 million each from the government and NS held the increase to 6%.
Aartsen said he welcomed the clarity now provided. “The cabinet does not want to revisit this discussion every year. Both travellers and NS deserve structural certainty,” he said, adding that he expected MPs to support the increase, since it remains below the 10% threshold.
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