Plans by Dutch railway company NS to make rush-hour tickets more expensive will not go ahead, the AD reports on Tuesday.

The NS is still carrying out research into the impact of the rise on passengers, but sources told the AD the plan is ‘unachievable’.

In April, the NS reached an agreement in principle with junior transport minister Wilma Mansveld to raise the cost of a rush-hour ticket by a maximum 10%, while season tickets would go up 6% and tickets outside of rush-hour would be 12% cheaper.

Financial benefit

According to the AD, scrapping the plan for higher prices during rush-hour would bring the NS a financial benefit. The idea came originally from the environment ministry which will have to pay the NS €100m over a ten-year period if the plan does not go ahead, sources told the paper.

Last month, Mansveld told parliament that rush-hour tickets would not be more expensive in the short-term and that she would be reappraising the ‘concept agreement’ with the NS.

The NS would not comment except to say it would publish the findings of its research at the end of the summer, the AD says.