France is to launch a new €49 (R994) monthly unlimited railway pass for TER (regional express trains) and intercity train services. The launch is planned for the European summer of 2024.
This follows the success of the popular German €49 public transport ticket launched earlier this year, reports euronews.com.
Transport Minister, Clément Beaune, told France 2 TV: “The ideal is to have something a little like what the Germans and other European countries have … to encourage train use.”
TER trains transport about 1,1 million passengers per day and connect local destinations with French regions. Popular destinations include Bordeaux, Arcachon, Marseille and Toulon.
According to Beaune, the pass might also cover local bus, metro, and tram travel. The full details have not yet been finalised.
The French ticket aimed to wean travellers off carbon-intensive forms of transport, said President Emmanuel Macron.
“The crux of the battle is to get out of coal and out of oil.”
France has banned many short-haul flights on routes where the journey can be accomplished by train in two-and-a-half hours.
Other European rail passes are believed to have had a positive environmental impact.
