Dutch rail operator NS can vary prices on certain routes or during rush hour from 2025, junior infrastructure minister Vivianne Heijnen has said in a briefing to MPs.

Making tickets more expensive would deter people from travelling during peak hours and spread the number of travellers more evenly throughout the day, the minister said.

Tickets for busy routes could also go up, giving the NS the money to use longer trains, Heijnen said.

The NS already encourages travellers to avoid the rush hour by issuing cheaper off peak rail cards.

The junior minister is also looking into giving the NS, which was hard hit by the coronavirus travel restrictions, more financial support to maintain the most vital railway routes when the government renews its contract with the rail operator in 2025.