https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022/09/01/spain-short-and-medium-distance-trains-will-be-free-this-autumn-thanks-to-a-windfall-tax [ ] * News * Destinations * Experiences * Stays * People * Series[ ] Series + City Scenes + Women Beyond Borders + Conscious Travel + Rerouted: The Balkans * * * * Visit Euronews This content is not available in your region Travel News Spain launches free train tickets throughout autumn, thanks to a windfall tax Most train journeys in Spain will be free from September. Most train journeys in Spain will be free from September. - Copyright Milan Markovic/Getty Images By Rosie Frost * Updated: 01/09/2022 - 17:38 Some train journeys in Spain will be free of charge from 1 September to 31 December. The scheme, announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on 12 July, applies to short and medium distance trains run by the national rail operator Renfe. It is open to all nationalities, including international tourists. Free tickets are available on all Renfe commuter trains (Cercanias and Rodalies) and mid-distance regional lines covering journeys of less than 300km (Media Distancia routes). The 100 per cent discount is only available on multi-trip tickets, not singles. Travel on other services, including long distance trains and those operated by other companies, will not come under the measures. This could mean free train travel between cities like Barcelona and Seville or Madrid and Bilbao. This could mean free train travel between cities like Barcelona and Seville or Madrid and Bilbao - if you are willing to commit to buying a season ticket. Although the tickets are free, a deposit of EUR10 or EUR20 is required to take advantage of the offer. You must have made at least 16 journeys by the end of December for this to be refunded. GABRIEL BOUYS/AFPA woman buys train tickets at an automatic ticket machine for the Spanish state-owned rail company Renfe.GABRIEL BOUYS/ AFP A 50 per cent discount on Renfe train tickets was already introduced in June in an effort to help out commuters. But, after reviewing the financial state of the country, Prime Minister Sanchez decided to make journeys completely free for a certain period. * Expats rank the best and worst European countries in 2022 for careers, social life and healthcare * Italy, Greece, Spain: The latest COVID rules if you test positive while on holiday in Europe Why is Spain making train travel free? The free train tickets are aimed at reducing the impact of the cost of living crisis in the country. Germany introduced a similar measure between June and August with a discounted nationwide public transport pass. It gave travellers unlimited use of local and regional services for just EUR9 a month. But Spain has decided to go one step further by making train travel on its Renfe services free between September and December this year. "I am fully aware of the daily difficulties that most people face. I know that your salary is getting less and less, that it is difficult to make ends meet, and that your shopping basket is becoming more and more expensive," Sanchez said. * Why is the travel chaos affecting Europe so much more than the rest of the world? * Barcelona: One-way streets and no more megaphones in crack down on disruptive tourists "I am going to work my skin to the bone to defend the working class of this country." Spain's windfall tax is funding the subsidised travel The free rail tickets will be funded by a new windfall tax on banks and energy companies that have profited from rising interest rates and energy prices. The new levy is set to be introduced in 2023 and could generate up to EUR7 billion in two years. It will also be used to build 12,000 new homes and fund youth scholarship programmes. FREE RAIL TRANSPORT PEDRO SANCHEZ TAX PUBLIC TRANSPORT TRAINS Share this article * facebookShare * twitterTweet * flipboardShare * mail iconsend * facebookShare * twitterTweet * flipboardShare * mail iconsend * MoreHide * redditShare * messenger-dskSend * linkedinShare * vkShare * redditShare * messengerSend * linkedinShare * vkShare You might also like A 2019 protest against the pollution caused by cruise ships. In 2022, 50,000 people have signed an anti-cruise petition in Marseille Travel News Marseille: 50,000 people sign 'stop cruises' petition Stunning New Tourist Complex: Silk Road Samarkand Opens in Uzbekistan Travel News The Silk Road Samarkand Tourist Complex Opens in Uzbekistan Planes of German air carrier Lufthansa are parked at Frankfurt airport, Germany. Travel News Lufthansa pilots set to strike tomorrow over ongoing pay dispute Most viewed Spain: Free train tickets available from September to December Backpackers are no longer welcome in these 6 countries Spain: Brits face different entry rules from EU travellers Marseille: 50,000 people sign 'stop cruises' petition Lost in translation: Ten awkward language mix-ups Sign up for our Travel newsletter [ ] * News * Destinations * Experiences * Stays * People * Series Terms and ConditionsCookie Policy - English English Francais Deutsch Italiano Espanol Portugues Russkii Turkce Ellenika Magyar frsy l`rby@ Shqip Romana k`art`uli b'lgarski Srpski * * * * Visit Euronews * News * Destinations * Experiences * Stays * People * Series[ ] Series + City Scenes + Women Beyond Borders + Conscious Travel + Rerouted: The Balkans * * * * [English ] Visit Euronews Facebook