France To Launch Low-Cost Rail Pass In 2024

France is set to launch a low-cost rail pass next summer.

The new pass will offer passengers unlimited travel on TER regional trains and intercity trains at a fixed price.

The pass, modelled after the similar and highly successful program offered in Germany, will cost around €49 and will encourage greener travel.

“It will be simple. The French, irrespective of their age, can buy this pass and have unlimited travel on an intercity or TER for a flat, inexpensive price.”
Transport Minister Clément Beaune

“If possible” the pass would also cover local travel by bus, metro, and tram within cities, Beaune says.

Merci pour cet engagement ! Je suis déterminé et heureux de travailler avec toutes les Régions pour faire avancer ce beau projet collectif 🌳🇫🇷 https://t.co/Nm7lAJ5hTF
— Clément Beaune (@CBeaune) September 7, 2023

This low-cost pass is part of France's recent initiative to prohibit short domestic flights between places that can be reached in two and a half hours or less.

What do you get for your money?

Pass-holders will pay a monthly €49 subscription fee for unlimited travel on TER regional trains and intercity trains.

TER trains connect local destinations within French regions. Popular TER routes include Bordeaux to Arcachon which costs around €15 and Marseille to Toulon which costs around €17. Passengers who make these trips frequently could save hundreds of euros with a pass. TER is the name of trains operated by the French national railway company SNCF.

Intercity trains run between French cities and they serve longer distance routes than TER trains but are slower than TGV high-speed trains.

Popular intercity routes include Paris to Toulouse and Bordeaux to Nice. Same-day ticket purchase for Paris to Toulouse would cost nearly twice the cost of the pass.

This project will be funded by the French government and will set them back by billions of euros.

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