Summer NS train discount deal comes to an end

Monday, 31 August marked the official end of the discounted Nederland Dal Vrij summer subscription offered by national rail operator NS.

The pass gave unlimited second-class off-peak travel nationwide for 49 euro a month, a steep drop from the year-round Flex Dal Vrij subscription’s regular price of nearly 128 euro a month.

The scheme was introduced by the Dutch cabinet after a parliamentary motion pushed for cheaper rail travel during a period of high fuel prices, with a 118 million euro budget behind it. It went on sale from 15 June, earlier than the original 21 June plan, and could be bought through 31 July.

Around 400,000 people bought the pass, well under the roughly 1 million subscriptions the budget could have covered, so unused funds reverted to the state treasury. Buyers travelled 422 million kilometres between them, an average of 1,050 km each.

Nearly half used it to visit friends or family, over a quarter for cultural outings or city trips, and about 70 percent said it replaced at least one car journey.

NS president Wouter Koolmees said the terms of the subscription could have been communicated more clearly, but that the numbers and feedback show it worked.

Travellers who want to keep an off-peak discount going forward can switch to the standard NS Flex Dal Voordeel subscription, a smaller ongoing discount at a much lower monthly price.

Source: NL Times