Free train rides in Spain from September to ease cost of living

Passengers on the state-owned rail network can ride for free from 1 September to the end of the year. Photo / Pexels

Efficient, spacious, free from airport drama and scenic to boot, trains are a brilliant form of transport for commuters and travellers.

Especially when they are free.

Take a trip to Spain, and you could hop abroad for free after the country announced a scheme to make some train journeys totally free.

The initiative allows passengers to rail around certain parts of the state-owned rail network, Renfe, for free from 1 September to the end of the year.

This is on top of the 30 per cent discount on all public transport, including metros, buses and trams, which was announced last month.

As expected, the 100 per cent rain discount is aimed towards residents taking multi-trip ticket journeys on media distancia (medium-distance routes, less than 300km) and cercanías (commuter services).

However, there is a catch.

As expected, the 100 per cent train discount is aimed toward residents, so it only applies to travel within metropolitan areas, nearby municipalities and places less than 300km away.

Additionally, it will only apply to multi-journey tickets that hold a minimum of 10 return trips.

If tourists did purchase a multi-journey ticket, it could mean free train travel between popular spots like Barcelona and Seville or Madrid and Bilbao.

The scheme is the socialist-led coalition government's latest effort to soften the growing cost of energy prices and inflation.

"I'd like the people of Spain to know that I'm fully aware of the daily difficulties that most people have," Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said on Tuesday. "I know salaries cover less and less and that it's difficult to get to the end of the month."

The Spanish Ministry of Transport said they hoped it would encourage people to use public transport, which is a 'safe, reliable, comfortable, economic and sustainable means of doing the daily commute,' despite increasing energy and fuel prices.

In Germany, the national railway company Deutsche Bahn launched a popular €9 in May that covers a full month of travel from June to the end of August. Passengers travelling more than 80 kilometres can use the deal on single trips between any two stations within Germany.

In late 2021, Austria's "Klimaticket" (climate ticket) was launched and offered journeys for just €3. The offering was so popular that the website almost crashed when tickets were released online.