The Dutch government is planning a summer special with a €49 pass good for unlimited rail trips, outside of peak hours, around the country, a bit over 60% off the €128 regular price. If approved by the Parliament, the ticket will be available between June 21 and September 1.
The group says the goal is to encourage people to choose trains over cars by making day trips more affordable. The discount is being funded by a variety of sources including from the National Mobility Fund, partly be cutting research into storage of radioactive waste, and partly from the Climate and Energy Fund. Because of limits on funding, there is a €118 million cap on the cost, which will limit the number of available tickets.
Climate Minister Van Veldhoven explained using the funds: “Traveling by public transport is good for reducing emissions. There was already money in the Climate Fund for measures related to trains and clean cars. So that is why it also fits this application.”
