The “rail pass” will be experimented with this summer for young people. Minister of Transport Patrice Vergriete announced this on the evening of Wednesday, April 3. Earlier that morning, the Minister of Transport had suggested that it would not be implemented due to opposition from the presidents of The Republicans (LR) regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Hauts-de-France, as well as the president of The Centrists in Normandy. The idea is to introduce a monthly pass of 49 euros that allows for travel on regional trains and intercity trains, following the model of what Germany has done. President Macron, who expressed support for this measure on September 4, 2023, welcomed the news on Wednesday evening, asking future beneficiaries, “Where will you go?”
This year, the rail pass will only apply to those under 27, during the summer, and excluding the Transilien in Ile-de-France. High-speed trains are also not included in this scheme, to the disappointment of several regional presidents. The day on Wednesday had many developments. In the morning, Patrice Vergriete applied pressure by stating on France Info that if the three regional presidents did not change their minds by the end of the day, “there will be no rail pass this summer.” This caused confusion as it was a surprise to the vice-president of the LR regional council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes responsible for transportation, Frédéric Aguilera. He emphasized that his region had always shown willingness. Although the executive led by Laurent Wauquiez wants Ile-de-France to be included in the scheme like everyone else, they agreed to postpone this to next year and experiment with the rail pass this summer.
The question of Ile-de-France is a major sticking point. According to Patrice Vergriete’s entourage, the Transilien network of suburban trains in the Paris region cannot be integrated into the rail pass for technical reasons. This is not acceptable to the presidents of Hauts-de-France, Xavier Bertrand (LR), and Normandy, Hervé Morin (The Centrists). They see it as unfair for young people in their regions to benefit from the rail pass to travel to Paris, only to face higher prices for public transportation in the French capital during the Olympic summer. This is seen as unjust and a rail pass on the cheap. Xavier Bertrand expressed frustration at the situation. The rest of the article is reserved for subscribers.
In summary, the rail pass will be introduced this summer for young people under 27, allowing them to travel on regional and intercity trains for a monthly fee of 49 euros. However, this will not include high-speed trains or the Transilien in Ile-de-France. The implementation of the rail pass faced opposition from some regional presidents who wanted all regions, including Ile-de-France, to be included in the scheme. This led to confusion and negotiations over the terms of the rail pass, with some regions agreeing to experiment with it this summer and address inclusion of Ile-de-France next year. The exclusion of certain regions from the rail pass raised concerns of inequality and unfairness among regional presidents, leading to further discussions and debates on the topic.
