The cheap summer train ticket which will give users unlimited off-peak nationwide travel for €49 a month will be launched on June 15, not June 21 as planned earlier.

The cabinet has pledged to invest €118 million in the project, which means there is a maximum number of tickets available, but the transport ministry has not yet said how many.

Tickets can be bought either online or at railway stations from the launch date and will cover both NS and private train services.

The aim of the discount ticket, which was put forward by the GroenLinks-PvdA alliance, is to encourage more people to use trains, either as an alternative to the car or as a way of testing out train services.

It will also help keep public transport affordable at times of high fuel prices, junior transport minister Annet Bertram said.