France Announces Unlimited Rail Pass for €49 — What to Know
“The idea of the Rail Pass is a simple device, open to all, inexpensive, allowing unlimited travel to promote the use of the train,” French Transport Minister Clement Beaune said.
France plans to introduce an unlimited rail pass next year months after the country banned many domestic flights.
The rail pass, which French Transport Minister Clement Beaune said in an interview with French media the hopes to introduce by next summer, would offer unlimited travel across the country. When it is instituted, the rail pass will cost about €49 (about $52) per month, Beaune added.
“The idea of the Rail Pass is a simple device, open to all, inexpensive, allowing unlimited travel to promote the use of the train,” Beaune said during the interview in a post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.
Moura F/Alpaca/Andia/Getty Images
Beaune added: “The heart of the Rail Pass must be the regional express trains (TER) and the Intercités, because these are the daily trains.”
These trains, he said, are “daily trains for many French people” who take them for work, for weekend trips, and for vacations.
The unlimited rail pass would be in line with similar schemes other European countries have introduced, including Portugal and Germany, which both offer a €49 pass.
It also comes months after France banned domestic flights throughout the country if there is an existing train alternative available in an effort to cut down on carbon emissions. The ban applies to routes when there is a train available that will take less than 2 and a half hours and where there are several direct, high-speed rail connections available each day.
In general, train travel is one of the best ways to get around Europe with high-speed connections regularly available between many major cities and countries. In France, the SNCF operates both high-speed and conventional long-distance trains across the country, including 11 high-speed lines that cover more than 1,600 miles.
Trains are available to some of the most popular destinations across the continent from taking the Eurostar to London or to the French Alps to visiting quaint villages along the French Riviera by train, and more.
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