All passengers are now eligible to travel on regional trains for a monthly fee of €49 after the national rail pass has become effective from the beginning of this month.
The pass is part of the measures included in the State Budget for this year and will work like any other pass.
It permits passengers to travel on any regional service train and on any route. Still, the pass is not valid on other devices such as the Alfa Pendular, InterRegional, Intercidades, Internacional, and Urban services in Porto, Lisbon and Coimbra.
Regardless of origin or destination, the pass that became effective on August 1 permits their holders to use any regional train. Still, some areas of the territory are excluded from the pass, taking into account Alentejo Litoral and the Coimbra area.
Besides, among the sections that are not included are the following routes: Régua-Pocinho (Douro Line), Coimbra-Figueira da Foz (suburban Coimbra), Pinhal Novo-Évora and Pinhal Novo-Vila Nova da Baronia (Alentejo Line), Pinhal Novo-Tunes (Southern Line).
In order to buy a rail pass, persons are required to go to the physical CP ticket offices and are eligible from the 21st of the previous month until the 20th of the desired month.
Payment of the difference in value for another train of a different category is not permitted, in addition to the fact that the ticket does not accumulate with other discounts, such as the “Young”, “4-18”, “Under-23” discount, or others.
In order to have the National pass, people must hold a CP Client card, which can be requested at the ticket offices presenting the following documents: An official identification document (Citizen Card, Identity Card, Driving license or Passport); a current (original) passport-type colour photograph; CP Card Request Template, based on a report from Portugal News.
Authorities in European countries have tightened their effort to improve the eco-friendly means of transport, such as rail transport, and also tighten connections between European regions, cities, and countries for domestic and international travel.
The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) previously announced that it is planning to make Europe’s railway regulations fit pan-European travel in order to make a more increased number of passengers choose the train instead of other means of transport.
Besides, the Belgian politician Georges Gilkinet previously said that authorities in EU countries should ban short-haul flights and replace them with improved train services.
