Dutch railway company NS is to encourage travel companies, hotels and lease car firms to start selling train tickets in an effort to get more people to use trains, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Tuesday.

The new NS partners will buy in train kilometres and sell them on to their clients according to their own pricing structures, the paper said.

Until now, the NS has retain control of ticket sales, although supermarkets such as Albert Heijn and high street stores such as Hema have bulk bought tickets for promotional activities, in line with NS rules.

The new plan will encourage people who rarely take the train to travel by public transport and form part of a different approach to mobility, involving cars, trains and bicycles, the FD said.

Talks are currently underway with a number of potential partners.