Lisbon, Oct. 21, 2024 (Lusa) - Portugal's minister for infrastructure said on Monday that CP would be compensated for any financial losses due to the Green Rail Pass and that the government's aim is for more people to travel by train and fewer by bus.
"CP will be compensated to the last cent of what it could hypothetically lose. It could even gain if we increase the number of people paying; we could even rebalance the accounts," he told journalists at Lisbon's Santa Apolónia Station on the day the Green Rail Pass kicks off.
On 8 October, CP's Workers' Committee said that the government's planned compensation to the company for the new pass, €18.9 million, was insufficient, a statement that led to "surprise and repudiation" on the part of CP's president, Pedro Moreira, and affirmed that the company had carefully calculated this number.
The minister said that this measure was launched in coordination with CP and with calculations of demand, so he considered that the increase in demand that there will be can be accommodated, but he also said that it is known that the company needs more trains.
Regarding the challenge to the tender for CP purchasing 117 trains, Pinto Luz said that CP's lawyers are trying to get these trains operational quickly.
"[The previous PS government] put out the biggest public tender for the purchase of trains ever made in Portugal, 117 new trains, which have been stalled in court in litigation for over a year. By all means, CP is trying to free itself from this corset and move forward with this acquisition," he said.
When asked about road operators' criticism of this pass, the minister said that his ministry is clear in its objective: it wants fewer people to travel by road and more to travel by train, in line with the European environmental strategy.
"I want fewer people travelling by bus and more by train, make no mistake about it. What has happened in recent decades because of a lack of investment in the railway? Buses have increased dramatically in recent decades. We need to have more of our fellow citizens using the railway," said Pinto Luz.
The €20 monthly rail pass comes into force today for country residents on CP Intercidades (2nd class), Regional, InterRegional (2nd class), Coimbra Urban, and Lisbon and Porto Urban services outside the metropolitan area.
The Green Rail Pass, which costs €20 per month, is valid on Intercidades. However, a seat must be reserved up to 24 hours in advance at CP ticket offices or vending machines in Lisbon.
Currently, a normal ticket on the Intercidades service for a Lisbon - Porto one-way journey in second class costs €26.85, which is less than the value of the pass that comes into force today.
This pass is not valid on the Alfa Pendular and International Celta services nor in first class on the Intercidades and InterRegional services.
The new pass will allow passengers to travel on all Coimbra's urban trains, but on Lisbon and Porto trains only outside their respective metropolitan areas.
The pass costs €20 for 30 consecutive days of use, but it can also be purchased for 60 and 90 days, for €40 and €60, respectively. It is loaded onto the CP Card, which, according to the transport company's website, costs €6 (€3 for students).
The minister's trip marked today's start of this pass for infrastructures, who bought his pass at Santa Apolónia Station and then travelled to Santarém, accompanied by journalists.
Also speaking to journalists, the minister said that the current rail pass (which cost 49 euros and didn't include Intercidades) had an average monthly pass of 2,600 only. Without indicating a monthly target, he said that he expects this figure to "double, triple in the first phase."
The government estimates that this new pass will cover 29.9 million passengers.
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