The vast majority of Spain's trains will be free until the end of the year in a new program. People visiting the West European country can now whizz (飞速行驶) across it in the relative luxury of one of its trains for zero cost. As well as being much better for the environment than air travel, sitting on a train and watching the countryside slip by is the perfect way to get to know a country.
Under Spain's new program, all short and medium train rides are free — with the right ticket — providing the perfect opportunity to see Catalonia, Andalucia and the Basque Country. Tourists can take advantage of the discounts, which have been brought in to help the population deal with the cost of living crisis, if they buy multi-journey tickets. "I'd like the people of Spain to know that I'm fully aware of the daily difficulties that most people have," a senior official said. "I know salaries cover less and less and that it's difficult to get to the end of the month." The country's Ministry of Transport said the measure would help people get to work safely as fuel prices continue to rise sharply.
Spain joins Germany in cutting the price of public transport, with the latter country launching a ticket costing €9 which gives a full month of travel from June until the end of August. Austria has started offering a climate ticket, which allows people to complete journeys for just €3. When it was first launched last year, the popularity of the ticket almost caused its website to crash. The UK government has not announced any plans to encourage the use of trains, despite the seriousness of the climate crisis and the damage petrol and diesel cars cause. Instead, the government cut fuel duty by 5% in March for 12 months, encouraging more people to get behind the wheel.
