National Rail Pass at 49 euros/month: what can it be and when can it become available?

A National Rail Pass for 49€/month that gives access to all regional trains in the country. The proposal was made by Livre during the discussion of the State Budget (SB) for 2023; having received the votes of the majority, it was integrated in the final version of the SB, already approved. The government is thus committed to creating this pass next year.

What can it be?

According to the Freeholder's proposal, integrated in the State Budget for 2023the Government should create, "by the end of the second quarter of 2023"a National Rail Pass "in the monthly value of up to 49 euros, which gives access to all Regional trains" from CP. At the same time, the executive led by António Costa should, "together with the other transport authorities", to present a "study on the revision of railway service tariffs that are under Public Service Obligations [of CP], which foresees their simplification and the ways in which it can be done extension of the National Rail Pass to the remaining service categories“.

Livre is requesting this tariff revision because it believes that the monthly cost of "Flexipasse CP - the alternative that CP makes available today for those who regularly use Intercity, Regional and InterRegional trains - should be substantially reduced"The text of the proposal reads. "The CP Flexipasse is a good initiative but the prices - of several hundred euros - currently charged make it inaccessible to much of the population."

In other words, the National Rail Pass should start by integrating CP's regional services, but may be extended in the future to other services, such as the Interregional, Intercity and Urban services, and there may be a revision of the current Flexipasse CP. According to Livre, a "substantial reduction in the cost of rail travel is especially relevant for all those people who use the train daily for their commute, which include those who currently live far from their place of work because of rising housing prices in urban centers".

Livre is inspired by the German case - where, after a test of a nine euro pass during the summer, the launch of a monthly pass worth 49 euros was announced, giving access to all modes and routes, except for long-distance trains - and the Spanish example, where passes for specific rail routes in regional and urban trains are free. But Rui Tavares' party also supports the measure with the Portuguese context, where the launch in 2019 of the Fare Reduction Support Program (PART) and the Andante and Navegante municipal and metro passes "ensured a substantial reduction in the cost of travel for individuals and families in the Metropolitan Areas of Porto and Lisbon and the integration of ticketing that is essential to simplify access to public transport".

Where could one use the Pass?

If launched according to the Livre proposal, which was integrated in the State Budget for 2023, the National Rail Pass will allow to ride on CP's Regional service, which in practice would make possible several train trips in the country:

• at West Lineyou can travel between Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) and Torres Vedras, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Coimbra or Figueira da Foz (and vice versa), depending on the connection;
• at North Line: you can go from Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) to Tomar or Castelo Branco (and vice versa), passing through Entroncamento. From Coimbra, you can go to Aveiro, Entroncamento or Guarda (and vice versa). With a transfer, in some hours of the day, you can also travel between Lisbon and Porto by Regional;
• at Douro Linebetween Porto (São Bento) and Pocinho (and vice-versa);
• at Minho Lineyou can go from Porto (São Bento) to Valença, passing through Viana do Castelo (and vice versa);
• at Beira Alta LineThere is a connection between Guarda and Vilar Formoso; and on the Beira Baixa Line, there are connections between Covilhã, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Abrantes, and Entroncamento;
• at Vouga Linebetween Espinho and Oliveira de Azeméis (and vice versa), and between Aveiro, Águeda and Sernada do Vouga (and vice versa);
• at Eastern Lineyou can travel between Entroncamento and Badajoz (Spain), passing through Portalegre and Elvas. Combining this trip with another, it is possible to go from Lisbon to Badajoz just by using CP's Regional service;
• at Alentejo LineThere is a connection between Vila Nova da Baronia and Beja;
• at Algarve Linebetween Lagos and Vila Real de Santo António, passing through Lagos.

Note that the Regional service is distinct from the Interregional service; the latter consists of faster trips between locations, with fewer stops than the Regional service and with more stops than the Intercity service. The Intercity, along with the Alfa Pendular, are CP's long-distance services and are also not included in this National Rail Pass, in light of the Livre proposal. The Urban service is also out (the suburban trains that circulate in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, for example, all belong to CP's Urban service, including the connection between Barreiro and Setúbal).

When can it become available?

The Free National Railway proposal was integrated in the State Budget for 2023 with the favourable votes of Rui Tavares' party, PS, PCP, BE and PAN, the IL voting against and the PSD and Chega abstaining. However, it should be noted that the State Budget is only a document for planning and managing the State's public finances, which contains a detailed forecast of revenues and expenses for a given year.

Its execution may not happen as planned, not only because of the country's socio-economic context (which can change in the middle of the year), but also because of other factors, leading to spending that is, for example, allocated to a certain planned measure being allocated to something else, leading to that measure not being realized. It is, therefore, now up to the Government, and specifically the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, led by Pedro Nuno Santos, whether or not the National Rail Pass will materialize.