Rail fares to go up by 4.7% next year to help pay for new trains

Dutch national train operator NS is set to raise fares by almost 5% on average in 2027, exceeding the rate of inflation for the third year in a row.

The increases are needed “to purchase new, comfortable trains, pay for rising costs and keep investing in good services,” Daan Schut, the management board member responsible for fares, said in a press statement on Tuesday.

NS is offsetting the increase by offering bigger discounts on off-peak fares for passengers who buy in advance. The maximum reduction on so-called PrijsTijd deals will go up from 60% to 80% next year.

The company said it also wanted to discuss reviving the discounted summer subscription rate, which allowed passengers to travel off-peak and at weekends for €49 a month in July and August, rather than the regular fee of €127.50.

The Railrunner fare for children, which allows under-12s to travel across the country all day for a flat rate, is being frozen at €2.50, and the KidsVrij subscription for families, which gives free travel up to the age of 11, will stay unchanged.

The minimum fare for short journeys is going up to €3.10, while the supplement for the high-speed line between Schiphol and Rotterdam is rising by 20 cents to €3.40.

Rail passengers’ organisation Rover criticised the above-inflation rises, pointing to the success of the summer discount as proof that people will travel by train if it is an affordable option.

“Now that NS is finally seeing its passenger numbers growing, passengers are being punished with big ticket increases. By constantly using the maximum room that NS has to raise ticket prices, it is holding back further growth,” a Rover spokesperson said.

Fares have gone up by around 6.5% for each of the last two years, partly to correct the 1.5% rise in 2023, when inflation was 10%. In 2024 prices were frozen thanks to a government cash injection of €120 million.

NS made a profit for the first time in years in 2025, recording a net gain of €380 million, though most of this came from a recalculation of its access charges during the coronavirus pandemic, when fewer trains ran. The charges are the costs the company pays to use the track network.