Young rail passengers will be able to roam wherever they wish on the French rail network during July and August for a flat rate of just £1.35 per day. President Macron announced the plan for a one-month unlimited PassRail in September 2023.
Initially it seemed to be an all-ages project intended to emulate the €49 Deutschlandticket – which opened up travel around Germany after the Covid pandemic. After months of negotiations between central government, the regions and SNCF (French Railways), it is now clear that the scheme is open only for passengers under 27. There are also many restrictions on the trains that can be taken: high-speed TGV expresses are excluded, but so too are suburban services in the Paris region, Ile de France.
Crucially, it appears the PassRail will be available only to people with an address in France . These are the key questions and answers. Young people will be able to travel the length and breadth of mainland France in July and/or August for a flat fare of €49 (£42), which works out at £1.
35 per day. They will need an address in France to buy a ticket, either through SNCF Connect – the main vendor – or Trainline, the private company. Former transport minister Clement Beaune, who was involved in setting up the scheme, called it “a tremendous step forward, of which I am very proud, for young people, ecology and mobility”.
But it comes with strings attached. The German scheme enabled travellers simply to buy a pass that was valid on loca.
