Travel/leisure

A new NS discount pass offers people the opportunity to travel unlimited during off-peak hours for 49 euros per month and was introduced at the request of, among others, Progressief Nederland, due to the rising energy prices caused by the Iran war.

The Dutch Cabinet is preparing to slash funding for the construction and maintenance of roads, waterways, and rail networks to plug multi-billion-euro deficits, sparking critical decisions over which national projects will be shelved. Despite the looming budget cuts, State Secretary Annet Bertram has signalled that urgent repairs to the Amsterdam-Rotterdam high-speed line and the rollout of the new European railway safety system (ERTMS) remain "absolutely vital" priorities that are unlikely to be axed. To cushion the blow of these reductions, Infrastructure Minister Vincent Karremans is exploring alternative funding routes, including private sector financing and European subsidies.

A majority in the Dutch house of representatives support a motion to reroute an existing Eurocity to Eindhoven and introduce a second hourly high‑speed train between Rotterdam and Brussels, aiming for better connectivity without raising fares.

Dutch Railways (NS) will notify travelers when the discounted summer ticket promotion is about to expire, helping prevent passengers from unintentionally rolling over into a more expensive subscription.

National railway operator NS has repaired an IT malfunction that locked passengers out of their personal accounts on Tuesday. The system failure was triggered by overwhelming website traffic following the launch of a government-funded 49-euro summer travel subscription. Although the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management allocated 118 million euros to subsidise the off-peak discount, the sheer volume of buyers congested the webshop and overwhelmed the digital infrastructure.

From 2027, all NS train routes will receive clear line numbers to make planning, travelling, and transferring smoother for passengers. The system will first be tested at Amersfoort Centraal next week, where travellers can share live feedback on how the new numbers appear in the NS app and on station displays.

Air France-KLM says it will run its full summer schedule, easing concerns about earlier warnings of possible fuel shortages. Industry groups now believe kerosene supplies are stable, helped by increased imports. KLM’s recent flight cancellations were linked to high fuel prices rather than a lack of fuel.

A new off‑peak train subscription will launch this summer, but the government says sales will stop if the scheme risks going over budget. The pass offers unlimited travel for 49 euros per month and is expected to attract many passengers. Officials say demand is hard to predict because the measure has never been tried before.