Spain to offer free train trips: when, where and how?

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced recently that multi-journey tickets for some trains operated by the state owned train network, RENFE, will be free.

Announced on July 12th during the first day of the 'State of the Nation' debate, the headline grabbing 100 percent discount followed news that the government had originally committed to a 50 percent reduction. 

A 30 percent discount will also be applied to the cost of passes and multi-trip tickets for regional and local transport services, including city metro, bus and tram systems, bought between September 1st and December 31st 2022.

READ MORE: How much can you save on public transport in Spain with the new state discount?

The scheme will cost public coffers a reported €200 million, according to government spokesperson Isabel Rodríguez, and comes amid a series of measures put in place by the government to try and ease the pain of rising inflation and prices, but also to lower pressures on fuel following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ensuing energy crisis. 

"The government will subsidise 100 percent of the public service of commuter trains operated by Renfe. We hope that the autonomous communities can complement this enormous effort made by the Spanish government," Sánchez said.

But which trains will be free, when, and how can you take advantage of them?

When?

This eye-catching travel discount will be available from September 1st to December 31st 2022, during which multi-journey train tickets on the trains outlined below will be free.

Which trains are free?

Unfortunately, the Spanish government has not given everyone in Spain free train travel on every route and on every type of train.

There are rules.

Simply put, local and commuter trains will be free. Cercanías, Rodalies (Catalonia), and Media Distance (local and medium-distance journeys) will be 100 percent free of charge.

The policy is aimed at encouraging the use of trains as opposed to other fossil fuel intensive forms of transport, and it’s valid for journeys up to 300km.

That in mind, trips on long-distance or high-speed trains, such as AVE and Alvia, are not included in the plan.

Neither will the routes in Avlo, the low-cost AVE option established in 2021, nor the medium and high-speed Avants.

Avlo and Avants will instead have a 50 percent discount on the original price, as outlined by the government in June.

How can I take advantage of this offer?

For the 100 percent discount on Cercanías, Rodalies de Cataluña and Media Distancia, monthly and multi-journey tickets will be eligible for the discount.

The multi-trip ticket for Cercanías or Rodalíes will be valid for unlimited trips between any origin and destination, and free for travellers who make 16 or more trips (four per month) between September and January, offered to travellers who purchase monthly passes.

You can find a breakdown by RENFE on the regional differences and passes here.

For Media Distance services, the pass will be free for those users who make 16 or more journeys, or travellers that purchase any of the following monthly passes:

• Bono 10 Regional
• Tarjeta 10 Sencilla
• Tarjeta 10 Libre
• Abono Mensual Regional
• Tarjeta Mensual 40 Sencilla
• Tarjeta Mensual 40 Libre

For more information in English about each of these Media Distancia (medium distance) passes, click on the one you're interested in learning about. 

Types of journey

Importantly, it is worth noting that one-way and round-trip tickets are also excluded from this initiative, and will therefore not be free.

The free travel is designed for frequent travellers, and includes weekly and monthly subscription passes, the full cost of which will be covered.

Deposits

As with anything in life, always read the small print - as it's rare that something is totally free. Fortunately, The Local has done that for you, and it turns out that you won't simply be able to waltz up to your local train station and take a free train anywhere from September 2022.

In order to take advantage of the 100 percent discounts, you must first put down a small deposit.

• For Cercanías and Rodalíes services, this will be €10.
• For medium distance services, it will be €20.
• The idea of the deposit is that they ensure travellers make a minimum of four trips per month and it's a way of avoiding scams.
• The deposits will be returned to travellers after four months, when the scheme ends at the end of December.

Cercanías: Local trains that link major cities with their metropolitan area. Cercanías operates in Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cádiz, Madrid, Málaga, Oviedo Santander, San Sebastián, Sevilla, Valencia and Zaragoza. 

Rodalies: The same as Cercanías, but in Catalonia.

Media distancia: Regional trains that link different cities, towns, and villages within a single autonomous community. 

Regional: Similar to media distancia but usually with more stops, and are often, as a result, slower but also cheaper. 

Ave: Spain's high-velocity, cross country service.