In a move to encourage residents and tourists to use public transport and to also boost tourism, Spain has offered free travel on short and mid-distance trains throughout the country on the public Renfe train network. The move is expected to significantly boost use the trains and propel the cause of sustainable travel, while helping various cities and regions around key tourism hubs to attract traffic.

Following the footsteps of Germany’s immensely popular 9 euro ticket that allowed residents and tourists to buy monthly passes for unlimited travel on German rail network, Spain has now gone a step further and introduced a new programme that will allow travellers to receive free train tickets for train journeys on the publicly-owned company Renfe’s network throughout Spain until at least the end of 2023.

However, the free travel comes with some conditions. First, the free tickets are only available on Renfe-operated commuter trains namely Cercanías and Rodalies and medium-distance train journeys under 300 km. It does not apply to Renfe’s high-speed AVE trains that connect destinations like Madrid and Barcelona.

However, the free train service still allows tourists to travel between multiple cities within regions like Andalusia, for instance travelling from Seville to Córdoba or Cadiz would be free under this scheme, or to take day trips from major cities.

The second caveat is that the free train tickets scheme only applies to multi-journey tickets and not single tickets. The users are meant to pay a deposit of Eur 10 for commuter trains or Eur 20 for medium-distance trains. Upon completion of 16 one-way journeys between September and December 2022, the users will get a refund of the deposit. This scheme comes with huge savings for tourists as a normal ticket for even day trips can cost up to Eur 40.

Users would need to download the official app for the train line Renfe. Foreign tourists will also need their passport number in order to sign up for the programme.

Launching the scheme, the Spanish government had announced that the initiative was designed to relieve the cost of living crisis due to high inflation and stagnant wages and hence free train tickets will allow commuters to save hundreds of euros in the year.

“I am fully aware of the daily difficulties that most people face. I know that your salary is getting less and less, that it is difficult to make ends meet,” Spanish Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez had said, while announcing the scheme.

By opening up the programme to anyone in Spain, not just locals, it offers the additional benefit of allowing tourists in Spain to save money on getting around the country.

It is also a big boost to sustainable travel as it will promote the use of trains – by the far the most eco-friendly mode of travel, except walking or bicycling. It is expected to reduce the air pollution that often clogs up major European cities.