Nederland Dal Vrij pass is a temporary summer offer from Dutch railway operator NS, giving passengers unlimited off-peak train travel for EUR 49 per month.

Nederland Dal Vrij pass reaches 20,000 sales
Nederland Dal Vrij pass reaches 20,000 sales

The subscription is available to customers who activate it by June 30, and it can be used for no more than two months. The initiative is backed financially by the Dutch government in collaboration with NS and other railway operators.

The regular monthly price⁠ of the pass is EUR 127.95. Under the summer measure, that amount has been reduced to EUR 49.

NS website faced heavy traffic after the launch

Demand rose quickly after the EUR 49 train pass became available. The NS website experienced heavy congestion⁠, and some passengers had problems completing their orders.

Shortly after 10:00 a.m., NS had already sold more than 20,000 passes.

An NS spokesperson said:

“It’s busier than we expected, and of course, we’re very happy about that,”

The operator advised customers who could not complete a purchase because of the high traffic to try again later.

NS said the passes remain on sale. The discount is financed through a EUR 118 million budget⁠ from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. For every pass sold, the government pays EUR 79 of the cost.

Sales will stop if the available budget is used up.

Nederland Dal Vrij pass covers off-peak travel

The Nederland Dal Vrij pass allows passengers to make unlimited train journeys outside peak hours across the Netherlands.

NS is presenting the offer both as a summer holiday option and as a lower-cost alternative to car travel, given rising fuel costs and parking fees.

According to the operator, train travel at this price is often much cheaper than driving, especially when additional road travel costs are included.

Children aged up to 11 can continue to travel free of charge with the Kids Vrij pass. In addition, parking at most P&R garages near stations will cost EUR 2 per day until August 31.

First pass presented in Utrecht

The first copy of the pass was handed over at the Railway Museum in Utrecht during Public Transport Day. Annet Bertram, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, presented it to participants in the De Langste Treinrace event.

NS uses the event to encourage domestic rail travel and to demonstrate how many places can be reached by train in one day.

The Longest Train Race in the Netherlands

On June 21, NS will hold De Langste Treinrace van Nederland, translated as “The Longest Train Race in the Netherlands.”

The competition will involve 10 teams, which will try to collect as many points as possible by covering the greatest possible distance by train. Additional points are awarded for visiting several provinces and for completing tasks either on board trains or at destinations.

Participants are scheduled to leave Utrecht Centraal on Sunday morning before travelling around the country.

Mia, a 13-year-old participant, said in her application that she has taken long rail journeys with her father since childhood.

“The best thing about traveling by train is that the journey itself is already an adventure. That’s why we’d love to take part in The Longest Train Ride together,”

The summer discount will not be extended beyond August. NS CEO Wouter Koolmees said the reduced price cannot continue after that month.