Germany’s €9 a month rail passes have proved so successful the government is under pressure to extend the scheme it introduced in June.
The heavily subsidised pass is on offer until the end of August and grants all German residents and visitors unlimited travel on regional transport.
A number of other European countries have also made trains cheaper as a way to tackle both the cost-of-living and energy crises.
Spain won widespread support last week for making all short and medium distance trains free of charge from September until December – a deal all the sweeter for being funded by a windfall tax on banks and energy companies.
So what’s Germany’s next move? Minister-President of Bavaria, Markus Söder has proposed an even more generous offer of €1 a day train travel.
In an interview with the German paper Bild on Sunday, he said, “The real problems will come in the fall. Then the …