THE Dutch government has approved the introduction of the Nederlands Ticket, a discounted summer rail pass offering unlimited off-peak rail travel across the Netherlands for €49 per month.
Following approval by Parliament on June 3, the scheme will launch on June 15 and run until August 31. The programme will cost the government €118m, funded through unspent allocations from its Climate and Mobility Fund.
The initiative appears to be inspired by Germany’s successful year-round Deutschlandticket, and is based on Netherlands Railways’ (NS) monthly season ticket which costs €127.95 per month in second class at off-peak times only. Under the summer scheme, the price will drop dramatically to €49 per month. Existing subscribers will automatically benefit from the reduced rate during the summer period.
The pass will be valid not only on NS services but also on trains operated by regional concessionaires including Arriva, Qbuzz and Keolis. No discounted first-class version will be available.
At the end of the summer the government plans to review usage data with public transport operators and assess whether a longer-term extension, or even a permanent version of the ticket, could be viable.
New smart card
Separately, Dutch public transport ticketing company Translink has launched a new national smartcard as part of the country’s transition to the OVPay system. The new OV-Pas, which is already available to purchase and subsequently top up online and through some retail outlets, will eventually replace the OV-Chipkaart, which is due to be phased out by the end of next year. However, several travel products, including NS Flex subscriptions, are not yet supported on the OV-Pas.
