Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced that travel on short and medium-range trains in Spain will be free for four months from early September to December 31 this year.
In a statement, the government stressed that this measure encourages the maximum and daily use of trains, which are a safe, reliable, comfortable, economical, and sustainable form of public transport.
The new rules extend the law of June 25 last year, which already established a 50 percent discount on tickets.
Note that a 100% discount is provided only for subscriptions, not single tickets, and these measures do not apply to long-distance trains and trains operated by other companies.
Thus, travelers from Barcelona, Seville, Madrid, and Bilbao who have purchased seasonal tickets are allowed free train travel.
In turn, Germany introduced similar measures – from June to August, public transport throughout the country operates almost free of charge. Passengers can take unlimited local and regional trips for just €9 per month.
As you can see, Spain has decided to go even further by making train travel on its Renfe routes completely free for four full calendar months.
Ticket prices will be covered by a new “contingency” tax on banks and energy companies that have profited from rising interest rates and energy prices. The tax is planned to be introduced in 2023, and in two years it can bring up to 7 billion euros to the treasury.