Explainer of the week. How the €20 pass will work in Lisbon and Porto

O Green Railway Pass (PFV) will reach the urban train lines covered by the Passes Navegante and Andante, in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto, allowing those who only use the train to buy only this title. How's it gonna work, anyway?

This enlargement starts in the coming days and has already been approved by the Council of Ministers, and “this measure will allow savings for train users who can reach 480 euros per year“, according to the government.

How's that gonna work?

The Executive has already explained that “green railway pass users can to use the title in urban services of Lisbon and Porto for 20 euros monthly“.

“In the Metropolitan Areas of Lisbon and Porto, passengers using only the train to reach the destination can choose to use only the PFV instead of the Intermodal Pass Navegante (Lisbon) and Andante (Porto), which means a half price reduction. The savings are higher if the passenger travels outside the Metropolitan Area of Porto ", can be read in the statement released by the Government. 

How much do you save? 

The government has advanced some “examples of savings, direct or indirect, with passengers using only trains on their journeys”:

• “A passenger with residence in Famalicão (outside the Metropolitan Area of Porto) and who works in downtown Porto (next to the station of S, Bento) paid 60 euros per month for two titles (40€ of the Andante+20€ of PFV). You can only have PFV for €20/month, which represents an annual savings of €480. On the weekend, with the same title, you can take leisure trips to Aveiro”;
• “A passenger living in Mount Abraham (Sintra) and working in Entrecampos (Lisbon) currently has the Navegante pass (40€) or the CP pass (32,35 €). Now you can choose only PFV for €20/month, which allows a savings of €240/year. At the weekend, you can take leisure trips to Setúbal”.

The Executive also explains that “with the extension of the PFV to the urban lines of Lisbon and Porto, it is possible to travel on all railway lines of the country, with the same title, in leisure, work or commuting, keeping the exception of Alfa Pendular and Intercidades in 1st class”.

“ With an estimated annual financial impact of EUR 1.5 million, the measure aims to be an important stimulus to the use of sustainable public transport and a clear disincentive to the use of cars in cities. The extension of the PFV to urban trains is part of the policy of tariff simplification and reduction of monomodal transport titles that has been developed by the government”, it can be read in the different note.