Almost 662,000 free commuter and medium-distance rail passes issued in Catalonia

Spanish public rail operator Renfe issued 661,735 free commuter and medium-distance passes in Catalonia for travel between September 1 to December 31, Spain's Transport Ministry reported on Monday. 

Of the total, 543,000 tickets are for Rodalies commuter lines and 118,735 are for medium-distance trains. 

Although the rail passes are free, a deposit of €10 is required for commuter lines and €20 for medium-distance services. The deposit is returned if passengers make 16 journeys during the four-month period. 

Renfe also sold 9,520 Avant high-speed medium-distance passes for regular travelers with discounts of 50%. 

The Spanish government has fully subsidized Renfe short- and medium-distance services since September 2022, as a measure to bring down inflation and entice more people to use public transport over private vehicles. 

In October last year, they announced their intention to keep services free for passengers throughout 2023.