PORTUGAL: A revised national rail discount pass launched by the government on October 21 has seen strong uptake in the first month.
Official figures show that 30 000 passes were sold, and pass holders made in excess of 70 000 seat reservations on Intercidades trains. The discount cards have proved especially popular with younger people; 40% have been bought by customers aged 30 or below.
The government officially launched the national Green Rail Pass on October 4, with sales beginning 17 days later. It forms part of a national Green Mobility Package covering 13 initiatives aimed at supporting decarbonisation goals in the transport sector.
The Green Rail Pass is the successor product to a monthly National Rail Pass released in August 2023 by Portuguese national operator CP and promoted by the previous government. Like the high-profile scheme in Germany, this pass was priced at €49. The new pass offers an even more substantial discount, being priced at €20 per month. Versions offering 60 and 90-day duration are priced at €40 and €60.
The ticket is valid on all state-subsidised CP passenger services, as well as on suburban services in Lisboa and Porto where journeys extend beyond the municipal boundary. Long-distance inter-city services can also be used in second class, but a seat reservation must be made at least 24 h before travel. However, the pass is not valid on CP’s commercially run Alfa Pendular tilting train services which primarily link Porto and Lisboa.
Concern over CP’s dominance
The national operator will receive annual compensation of €19m to cover the impact of the discount scheme on its revenue.
New entrants’ trade association AllRail has fiercely criticised the introduction of the pass, saying it reinforces CP’s position as the dominant player in the market and risks future investment in the Portuguese network. CP has a directly awarded contract to run all PSO services in Portugal until 2029.
While there have been some expressions of interest from other operators keen to enter the market, so far the only non-CP domestic passenger services are provided by Fertagus, which runs a suburban network linking Lisboa with districts on the south side of the River Tagus.
In 2021, its parent company Barraqueiro established B-Rail as a subsidiary to run open access passenger train services along the Atlantic corridor linking cities in the north and south of the country, but none has so far been launched.
Commenting on the launch of the Green Pass, AllRail Secretary-General Nick Brooks said ‘the [€20 pass] will cannibalise commercial driven long-distance services — who can compete against the taxpayer?’
