France on track to launch €49 rail pass this summer
France is set to launch its €49-a-month rail pass - modelled on Germany's successful €49 ticket - this summer, but there are expected to be some changes to the original plan.
France is slated to introduce a €49-a-month transport pass for people under the age of 27 starting this summer, according to an announcement on Wednesday by transport minister, Patrice Vergriete.
It will become available for purchase starting on June 15th, via SNCF-Connect. According to BFMTV, a government information website with additional details on the 'Pass Rail' will be put online shortly.
“This is excellent news for the 700,000 young people who will benefit from it during the summer period,” the minister told the French press on Wednesday.
READ MORE: How will France's version of the German €49-a-month train ticket work?
French President Emmanuel Macron also tweeted his enthusiasm for the plan, noting he had promised to put the ticket into action during a September segment with the YouTuber Hugo Travers.
Que les moins de 27 ans puissent voyager en train de manière illimitée en France : devant Hugo, j'avais dit banco ! Le Pass Rail à 49€ par mois devient réalité dès cet été. Où irez-vous ?
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 3, 2024
The original plan was for the rail pass to replicate Germany's €49 ticket (or 'D-Ticket'), which is valid on all local and regional buses, trains and trams for all ages.
But in France, the pass will only be available for under-27s.
The pass will be available only over the summer - opening for purchase on June 15th, and available for use during July and August. It will be renewed if it proves to be a success.
Exact details are still being finalised but it seems that the pass will be for local and slower rail services - so local TER trains and Intercité trains will be included, but not high-speed TGV routes. International services like the Eurostar will not be included.
It also appears that the greater Paris region of Île-de-France is not set to be included in the initial experiment plan for summer 2024.
This means that travellers will be able to take TER trains from one region to Paris using the single ticket, but they would not be able to travel within the Paris region it.
For the plan to succeed, the government has needed to get the regions onside, as they have had the authority to set their own transport fees since 2017.
In early March, the government announced that the State would cover 80 percent of its cost for the unlimited rail pass, estimated to be around €15 million. The rest would have to be covered by the regions.
Ultimately, the heads of the regions eventually accepted the rail pass for summer 2024, with the exception of Île-de-France.
Xavier Bertrand, from the right-right Les Republicains party and head of the Hauts-de-France region, told Franceinfo: "We still accepted because we do not want to penalize the young people of [our region]."
Meanwhile, the head of the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes region said they would give the green light for a one-year experiment, but specified they would not support its renewal "without the participation of all regions".
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France is slated to introduce a €49-a-month transport pass for people under the age of 27 starting this summer, according to an announcement on Wednesday by transport minister, Patrice Vergriete.
It will become available for purchase starting on June 15th, via SNCF-Connect. According to BFMTV, a government information website with additional details on the 'Pass Rail' will be put online shortly.
“This is excellent news for the 700,000 young people who will benefit from it during the summer period,” the minister told the French press on Wednesday.
READ MORE: How will France's version of the German €49-a-month train ticket work?
French President Emmanuel Macron also tweeted his enthusiasm for the plan, noting he had promised to put the ticket into action during a September segment with the YouTuber Hugo Travers.
Que les moins de 27 ans puissent voyager en train de manière illimitée en France : devant Hugo, j'avais dit banco ! Le Pass Rail à 49€ par mois devient réalité dès cet été. Où irez-vous ?
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 3, 2024
The original plan was for the rail pass to replicate Germany's €49 ticket (or 'D-Ticket'), which is valid on all local and regional buses, trains and trams for all ages.
But in France, the pass will only be available for under-27s.
The pass will be available only over the summer - opening for purchase on June 15th, and available for use during July and August. It will be renewed if it proves to be a success.
Exact details are still being finalised but it seems that the pass will be for local and slower rail services - so local TER trains and Intercité trains will be included, but not high-speed TGV routes. International services like the Eurostar will not be included.
It also appears that the greater Paris region of Île-de-France is not set to be included in the initial experiment plan for summer 2024.
This means that travellers will be able to take TER trains from one region to Paris using the single ticket, but they would not be able to travel within the Paris region it.
For the plan to succeed, the government has needed to get the regions onside, as they have had the authority to set their own transport fees since 2017.
In early March, the government announced that the State would cover 80 percent of its cost for the unlimited rail pass, estimated to be around €15 million. The rest would have to be covered by the regions.
Ultimately, the heads of the regions eventually accepted the rail pass for summer 2024, with the exception of Île-de-France.
Xavier Bertrand, from the right-right Les Republicains party and head of the Hauts-de-France region, told Franceinfo: "We still accepted because we do not want to penalize the young people of [our region]."
Meanwhile, the head of the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes region said they would give the green light for a one-year experiment, but specified they would not support its renewal "without the participation of all regions".
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