The Netherlands to Get Cheap Monthly Train Ticket
The Netherlands will follow in the footsteps of Germany by introducing its own cheap monthly ticket, offering unlimited train travel for just €49 per month.
Monthly ticket for Dutch trains
The Dutch minority government coalition has said it will implement a cheap monthly train ticket as part of a series of energy-saving measures to address rising oil and gas prices and concerns over fuel supplies in the Netherlands.
Set to start this summer, the affordable monthly ticket – modelled on the one used in Germany – will cost passengers €49 and will grant unlimited train travel during off-peak hours.
The ticket will also be valid for other modes of public transport, including the bus, tram, and metro.
Dutch PM Rob Jetten said: “I understand Parliament’s appeal to introduce a temporary measure in the near future to make public transport more appealing.
PM Jetten, who leads a minority government, said that he “hopes that a lot of people will be tempted to leave their cars at home and use public transport more often” and perhaps become “more permanent public transport users”.
With the backing of the opposition party PRO, a Labour-Green alliance, the Dutch minority government of two liberal parties (D66, VVD) and the Christian Democratic Party (CDA) has enough parliamentary support to implement the measure.
A formal parliamentary vote on the measure is set to take place tomorrow.
Train at Amsterdam Centraal, the main railway station of the Dutch capital. ©AndyBTravels
Germany’s cheap train ticket
An affordable monthly ticket was first pioneered by Germany when it introduced the 9-Euro-Ticket in the summer of 2022 as a pilot project, offering unlimited travel on regional and commuter trains, as well as local public transport such as buses, trams and metros.
As it created a huge modal shift to public transport, the federal German government decided to make the monthly subscription ticket permanent by creating the Deutschlandticket (D-Ticket) in 2023.
Just like the planned Dutch monthly ticket, the Deutschlandticket also started at a price of €49 per month, although this has recently increased to €58 in January 2025 and to €63 in January 2026.
Differences between the German and Dutch monthly ticket
As it currently stands, the main difference between Germany’s monthly ticket and the planned Dutch ticket will be that the one in the Netherlands will not be valid during the morning and evening rush hour, unlike the German one, which is valid throughout the day.
Another difference is that while the German ticket is only valid on regional and local trains, the Dutch ticket will also be valid on domestic InterCity services.
The majority of trains in the Netherlands are operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS, the Dutch Railways), although some private operators hold concessions to exclusively operate services on certain regional railway lines.
The cheap monthly ticket will be valid on both NS trains and those operated by private operators.
NS Intercity train at Utrecht CS, the busiest railway station in the Netherlands. ©AndyBTravels
Conclusion
The Netherlands will likely introduce a cheap €49 public transport ticket that grants users unlimited travel for a month on Dutch trains, buses, trams and metros.
The introduction of such an affordable public transport ticket still needs to be formally voted on in Parliament and ultimately implemented, which is planned for the summer of 2026.
Whether the planned monthly ticket will be temporary or permanent still remains to be seen.
