Dutch railway company NS has decided to freeze domestic ticket prices next year following the cabinet’s decision to give the state-owned company €120 million in subsidies.

Infrastructure minister Vivianne Heijnen earlier gave NS the green light to increase ticket prices by an additional 3.5% in 2024, on top of the regular increase, a move slammed by both MPs and rail users groups.

However, tickets for international train services will go up by 7.85% while renting a bike will increase by 10 cents an hour to €4.55. This is because the government cash is to cover domestic travel only, NS said.

NS earlier dropped plans to introduce a rush hour supplement for journeys at peak periods because of the protests.