This way you qualify for a significant discount on train journeys in the NS app

As of today, travelers can travel with a discount of up to 60 percent. To do this, they must meet two conditions. We explain both in this article.

Discount on train journeys

With most of the corona measures behind us, NS is back on track to welcome more travelers on the train. That is why the carrier has started a pilot with NS Discount tickets where travelers can take advantage of significant discounts. These discounts are already available if you travel during off-peak hours, but now there is a “tailor-made discount per train ride”, according to NS CEO Tjalling Smit.

The discount applies under the following two conditions:

• Train journeys on the route Eindhoven Central-The Hague Central (and all intermediate stations such as Rotterdam, Delft, Tilburg and Breda)
• Traveling in a quiet train

Plan and buy e-ticket

NS is introducing a new NS Discount e-ticket for this, whereby a discount on the train ticket per train ride is determined by our crowding data. The quieter the train, the higher the discount. You can see the expected crowds per train in the NS app. That’s how it works.

You do not need a subscription to travel with NS Voordeel. You must purchase the ticket at least one day in advance. You plan the journey in the journey planner in the NS app or on ns.nl and see for each departure time whether travel with a discount is possible. You can then directly buy the NS Voordeel ticket there and receive an e-ticket with a QR code to be able to travel.

The pilot with NS Voordeel is therefore a logical next step to encourage more people to travel by train and at the same time to spread it better over our trains. And looking at the current fuel prices, this initiative may offer many travelers a solution to travel cheaply between The Hague and Eindhoven.

Better spread

In addition to testing the technology and attracting new passengers, NS wants to use the pilot to investigate to what extent travelers are willing to buy a ticket for a specific train ride by offering a high discount. For example, trains with many empty seats are used more efficiently and NS tries to avoid overcrowded trains. Smit: Take the Intercity, for example, which departs on Monday at 10:15 a.m. from Eindhoven to The Hague, of which two thirds of the seats are occupied. If you take the same train, but two hours later, only a third of the seats are occupied. Travelers who opt for this train can therefore receive a 30 percent discount.”

What do you think of this initiative of the Dutch Railways? Are you planning to take the train more often now that fuel prices have risen so much? Let us know in the comments below.